Season’s
Greetings!
Wishing the community
the very best for the
Holiday Season. From all
of us at Insight News.

December 24 - December 30, 2012

Vol. 39 No. 52 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

Nation, state
need stricter
gun laws
By Harry Colbert, Jr.
Contributing Writer
At least one state organization,
a congressman and a mayor are
calling for stricter gun laws in
wake of the tragic massacre of
26 people – 20 of them children
– that occurred in Connecticut.
Though those calling for
stricter gun laws have been
doing so long before the Dec.
14 mass shooting at Sandy
Hook Elementary School in
Newtown, Conn., they say the

latest incident is just another
example of this nation’s
need for action. Locally,
according to a spokesperson
for Minneapolis Mayor R.T.
Rybak, the mayor is demanding
tougher legislation.
“Children should not have
to live in an environment where
gun violence common,” said
John Stiles, communications
director for Mayor Rybak.
“People have to understand the
power and deadliness of guns.”

GUNS TURN TO 13

Ben Williams

African businesses grow jobs
front lines, new Minnesotans also prosper
as entrepreneurs, middle- and senior-level
business executives, and higher-value
manufacturing workers.
As specific populations grow, more
opportunities also arise for immigrant
entrepreneurs to open shops, restaurants,
even medical facilities that cater
specifically to their communities’ dietary,
cultural, and health needs. As has been the
case throughout Minnesota’s immigration
history, much of this financial success
spills over to Minnesota’s wider economy.
Concordia University research estimates
ethnic purchasing power at $12 billion on

By Lee Egerstrom, Economic
Development Fellow, MN2020
With minority communities accounting for
more than half of Minnesota’s population
growth over the last decade, the state’s
economic future rests in Building Crosscultural Commerce.
Rapidly expanding populations of
newcomers, and their Minnesota-born
children, are responsible for nearly 40
percent of business start ups in some areas
of the state, according to estimations by
economic development officials in several
cities. While most newcomers work on the
agricultural, service, and retail sectors’

Courtesy of MN2020

Lee Egerstrom

JOBS TURN TO 2

Grandmother’s fight
for her grandchildren
reaches the state
Supreme Court

President Obama accepts
Ambassador Rice’s decision
Statement by President
Barack Obama
Today, I spoke to Ambassador
Susan Rice, and accepted
her decision to remove her
name from consideration for
Secretary of State. For two
decades, Susan has proven to
be an extraordinarily capable,
patriotic, and passionate public
servant.
As my Ambassador to
the United Nations, she
plays an indispensable role
in
advancing
America’s
interests. Already, she has
secured international support
for sanctions against Iran and
North Korea, worked to protect
the people of Libya, helped

U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice
achieve an independent South
Sudan, stood up for Israel’s
security and legitimacy, and
served as an advocate for UN
reform and the human rights of

By Harry Colbert, Jr.
Contributing Writer
Dorothy Dunning loves her grandchildren.
There is an obvious connection between her
and her granddaughters, Princess Knox, 3, and
the youngest, 2; the youngest, Dorothy Knox,
was named after Dunning. There is no doubt that
these are her grandchildren. DNA test verify the
biological link, and she is 100 percent their paternal
grandmother. This is undisputed.
What is at dispute is whether Dunning can have
her wish to have sole custody of her grandchildren
granted. Thus far, two Minnesota courts have ruled
against her. She is hoping the Minnesota Supreme

Harry Colbert, Jr.

Dorothy Dunning

DUNNING TURN TO 13

Media

FCC rules may
shrink Black media
ownership

PAGE 2

Aesthetics

The passing of Jesse Hill, Jr.
leaves a huge void in the body
politic and societal fabric of
Atlanta, the state of Georgia,
the nation, and the world. Mr.
Hill gave of his seemingly
boundless talents and energy
to causes great and small that
changed the quality of life for
communities and individuals
alike.
When he was not advising a
President, Congressman, Mayor
or legislator, Jesse was helping
a business, civic or political

Lifestyle

Jamie unchained

Make your New
Year’s celebration
sparkle

PAGE 7

PAGE 8

Jesse Hill Jr.
leader plot a course for progress.
But, equally important to Jesse
was the “unimportant” person

HILL TURN TO 15

Youth

youthrive hosts
PeaceJam Slam at
Capri Theater

PAGE 12

Page 2 • December 24 - December 30, 2012 • Insight News

insightnews.com

FCC rules may shrink Black media ownership
By Freddie Allen
NNPA Washington
Correspondent
WASHINGTON (NNPA) –
The Federal Communications
Commission, once viewed
as an ally in expanding
media ownership by AfricanAmericans, is now considering
regulations that many say will
make Black ownership more
difficult to achieve.
The proposed changes come
in the wake of an FCC report
that showed that minorities
trailed far behind their White
counterparts in the ownership of
broadcast stations.
According to the FCC report,
Blacks owned 231 broadcast
stations in 2011, including
television and radio outlets, a
fraction of the 9,610 broadcast
stations owned by Whites.
Blacks owned majority shares
in just 10 (0.7 percent) full
power commercial television
stations (FPTV), down from
12 (1 percent) owned in 2009.
The number of White owned
FPTV stations increased from
754 (63.4 percent) to 935 (69.4
percent) over the same period.
“The
results
weren’t
surprising,
but
were
disappointing,” said David
Honig,
co-founder
of
the Minority Media and
Telecommunications Council,
a
nonprofit
group
that
promotes equal access and
civil rights in mass media and
telecommunications.
For some experts it’s clear
that the growing disparity in
ownership is about one thing:
money.
“If you don’t have money,
you can’t buy radio and TV
stations,” said Dwight Ellis
broadcast journalism and media
studies professor at Bowie State
University in Maryland. “You
need money to get into the game
and you need money to stay in
the game.”
And large media companies
have the money to increase
ownership in markets where
they were previously prohibited
from owning more than two
media outlets.
According to Honig, access

According to the FCC, Black own less than 1 percent of full power
commercial television stations in the U.S.
to capital is just one of the
hurdles that confront minorities
seeking to break into the game.
Engineering
deficiencies,
employment discrimination that
decreases the talent pool, and
changes to the FCC’s television
duopoly rule also makes it
harder for minorities to own
media outlets.
A broadcast duopoly is when
one company owns two or more
stations in the same city or
community.
Until 2001, the FCC did
not allow companies to have
overlapping coverage in the
same area on the premise that
the company could have too
much influence over the public
airways. The FCC now permits
the ownership of two stations
in the same market provided at
least eight unique stations are
left after the duopoly is formed
and two of the four highest-rated
stations in a market cannot be
owned by the same person or

company.
David Honig and an umbrella
group supporting diversity and
competition in media ownership,
called Diversity and Competition
Supporters (DCS), argue that the
changes in the rule “suppressed
minority and female ownership,
and its harmful implications far
outweigh any consideration of
potential benefits the duopoly
rule may confer.”
Honig’s DCS group also
found that duopolies made it
harder for minorities to access
capital from lending institutions.
In a 2012 brief to the FCC, the
DCS said, “duopolies have
threatened minority ownership
because of the fact that lenders
and investors are less willing
to finance a standalone station
when they can finance duopolies
because of their more attractive
revenue models.”
DCS also reported that local
television duopolies often cut
the local programming options

Courtesy of NNPA

targeted to people of color.
Some minority groups did
manage to eke out modest gains
in ownership.
Hispanics increased the
number of full power television
stations they owned from 30 (2.5
percent) in 2009 to 39 in 2011
(2.9 percent).
Hispanics and Blacks also
saw gains in lower power
television stations (LPTV) that
serve local markets with a limited
broadcast range. Hispanic LPTV
station ownership jumped from
85 stations in 2009 to 120
stations in 2011. Blacks saw the
number of LPTV stations they
owned more than double from
seven to 16 stations.
African-Americans
increased their ownership in FM
radio stations from 63 in 2009
to 93 in 2011. Over that same
period, Hispanics increased their
FM station ownership from 141
stations to 151.
Despite modest gains in
some areas, minority media
ownership makes up only a
fraction of what Whites control.
Whites own majority stakes
in more than 69 percent of full
power TV stations, 76 percent
of low power television stations
and nearly 80 percent of FM
radio stations.

Some advocates fear that
without major gains in minority
media ownership, people of
color will lose the ability to
shape images and messages that
reach their communities and
beyond.
“Black media ownership is
critical, otherwise we don’t have
the ability to articulate our voice
without distortion or without
being complicated by someone
else’s agenda,” said Michael Eric
Dyson, Georgetown University
sociology
professor
who
makes frequent appearances on
television.
Dyson added: “The reality is,
that without significant presence
in terms of radio terrestrial and
satellite as well as television,
then African American people
are at a loss.”
Some civil rights groups
believe that these losses could
grow if the FCC makes it easier
for corporations to further
consolidate media ownership in
major markets across the nation.
Proponents for weakening
cross-ownership
regulations
argue that it will allow
companies that already own
top 20 TV or radio stations in
a market to inject much needed
capital into struggling into
newspapers, saving local jobs.
However, critics of say
that the minority owners will
be squeezed out of a rapidlychanging
and
contracting
industry.
“We’re deeply concerned
that it will have a negative effect
on racial, ethnic minority and
women media ownership,” said
Hilary Shelton, Washington,
D.C. bureau chief of the National
Association for the Advancement
of Colored People. “Diversity in
the media is not just geographic
diversity its not just diversity in
programming it’s also diversity
in the very core of business in
decisions made at the owner’s
level.”
After the FCC published
their report, the NAACP joined
a number of civil rights groups
and released a statement
outlining their opposition to
the FCC’s plan to relax the
ban on cross-ownership. The
group called the report “late and
filled with flaws” and limited
in it’s analysis of impact that
regulatory changes would have
on minority ownership.
“It’s baffling that the FCC is
ignoring the court’s instructions
and rushing to further water
down its cross-ownership rule
without fully evaluating the
impacts of doing so on female

and minority ownership,” said
Free Press President Craig
Aaron in a recent press release.
Free Press is an organization
that supports universal Internet
access and diverse media
ownership.
Aaron said that counting who
owns what is just the first step,
but FCC should not adopt its
proposed rule changes without
first determining how minority
media owners will be affected.
“Past research shows these
communities are the ones that
are harmed most by further
consolidation, particularly the
proposal the FCC is poised to
adopt,” Aaron said.
Honig and the Diversity and
Competition Supporters’ group
presented a brief to the FCC that
proposed the creation of minority
ownership incubators, providing
a telecom public engineer
position for small businesses
and non-profits, and developing
“an online resource directory
to enhance recruitment, career
advancement, and diversity
efforts.”
The brief also argued for the
reinstatement and expansion
of the tax certificate policy
that “allowed companies to
defer capital gains taxation on
the sale of media properties to
minorities.”
In addition, the brief reported
that from 1978 to 1995, through
the tax certificate policy, “the
FCC granted 356 tax certificates
– 287 for radio, 40 for television
and 30 for cable franchises.”
The FCC said that it plans to
delay the vote on changing crossownership regulations, at least
until January, to allow for more
feedback on the proposition.
(Public comment forms
can be obtained electronically
at
http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/
userManual/upload/express_
form.jsp or can be mailed to:
Marlene H. Dortch, Secretary
Federal
Communications
C o m m i s s i o n
Office
of
the
Secretary
445
12th
Street,
SW
Room
TW-B204
Washington, D.C. 20554).
Professor Dyson said that
although no one wants to
talk about affirmative action,
something has to be done to
boost minority media ownership.
He said, “We have to talk
about the distribution of those
resources and the awarding of
those licenses has to be dealt
with so that the parity that we
seek in the ‘so-called Fourth
Estate’ gets revved up again.”

Implementation of new
USCIS Immigrant Fee
WASHINGTON—On
Feb.
1, 2013, U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services (USCIS)
will begin collecting a new
USCIS Immigrant Fee of $165
from foreign nationals seeking
permanent residence in the
United States. This new fee was
established in USCIS’s final rule
adjusting fees for immigration
applications
and
petitions
announced on Sept. 24, 2010.
USCIS has worked closely
with the Department of State
(DOS) to implement the new fee
which allows USCIS to recover
the costs of processing immigrant
visas in the United States after
immigrant visa holders receive
their visa packages from DOS.
This includes staff time to

handle, file and maintain the
immigrant visa package, and the
cost of producing and delivering
the permanent resident card. The
implementation of this new fee
is further detailed in a Federal
Register notice scheduled for
publication tomorrow.
In order to simplify and
centralize the payment process,
applicants will pay online
through the USCIS website
after they receive their visa
package from DOS and before
they depart for the United States.
DOS will provide applicants
with specific information on how
to submit payment when they
attend their consular interview.
The new fee is in addition to fees
charged by DOS associated with

an individual’s immigrant visa
application.
USCIS
processes
approximately 36,000 immigrant
visa packages each month.
Prospective adoptive parents
whose child will enter the
United States under the Orphan
or Hague processes are exempt
from the new fee.
For more information visit
our USCIS Immigrant Fee
webpage.
For general information on
USCIS and its programs, please
visit www.uscis.gov or follow us
on Twitter (@uscis), YouTube (/
uscis) and the USCIS blog The
Beacon.

Rice

security team, carrying her
work forward on all of these
and other issues.
I have every confidence that
Susan has limitless capability
to serve our country now and
in the years to come, and know
that I will continue to rely on
her as an advisor and friend.
While I deeply regret the
unfair and misleading attacks

on Susan Rice in recent weeks,
her decision demonstrates the
strength of her character, and
an admirable commitment to
rise above the politics of the
moment to put our national
interests first. The American
people can be proud to have
a public servant of her caliber
and character representing our
country.

contributions.
Throughout the state, the
number of Somali Minnesotans
has risen to 50,000 from
roughly 18,000 a decade
ago, with Ethiopians now
numbering 14,000, triple the
2000 census data. While mostly
concentrated in Minneapolis
and St. Paul, more of these
newcomers are calling Dakota
County and Greater Minnesota
home,
especially
around
Rochester and St. Cloud.
One example where old and
new merge involves Africanowned Minneapolis grocery
and spice shops sourcing
specially made grains from
a long-time Minnesota farm
family for resale in their

communities. At least one shop
owner sourcing from other
upper Midwest millers has
expanded into the mainstream
market, and now supplies Cub
Foods. That bakery operation
employs 15 Twin Cities
residents.
http://www.mn2020.org/
issues-that-matter/economicdevelopment/made-inminnesota-2012-buildingcross-cultural-commerce

From 1
all people.
I am grateful that Susan
will continue to serve as our
Ambassador at the United
Nations and a key member
of my cabinet and national

Jobs
From 1
the low end.
These folks buy houses,
groceries, cars and other
consumer goods from longestablished
Minnesota
businesses. Today’s Hispanics,
Hmong, and East Africans
follow a long line of
hardworking newcomers dating
back to the Scandinavians and
Germans. Each group brought
its traditions and unique skills
to add value to Minnesota’s
economy. We’re a stronger
state because of their collective

People wanted on warrants are urged to surrender
authorities today. The Sheriff’s
Office is conducting a warrant
sweep to clear active warrants and
make arrests.
“If you are wanted on an active
warrant, you should do the right
thing and to turn yourself in,” said
Sheriff Rich Stanek, “A warrant
doesn’t go away with time and
we will continue to pursue you for
arrest.”
The enforcement effort is
beginning this week and will
continue through the end of the

Hennepin County Sheriff Rich
Stanek
Hennepin County Sheriff Rich
Stanek is urging anyone with an
active warrant to surrender to

year. The Sheriff’s Office will
arrest people who are wanted for a
range of offenses – from felonies
to misdemeanors. The sweep will
focus on active warrants related to
violent crime, domestic violence,
and DWIs.
There are advantages to
voluntary surrender -- because
by doing so a wanted person will
avoid being arrested by deputies
in their home or workplace.
The wanted person might also
avoid incarceration during the

upcoming holiday if they turn
themselves in now. This depends
on the severity of their offense and
the scheduling calendar within
the criminal justice system. A
wanted person may surrender to
the Sheriff’s Office or their local
police department.
The goal of the warrant
sweep is to improve public
safety. People who are wanted
on active warrants are more
likely to reoffend. The sweep is
being conducted in partnership

with local police departments
throughout Hennepin County.
A warrant sweep is one method
to pursue people with active
warrants. In addition, the Sheriff’s
Office and local law enforcement
agencies pursue and arrest wanted
individuals everyday.
To determine if you have an
active warrant
• Visit the Sheriff’s Office
Warrant Unit. It is located in
Room 22 in Minneapolis City

Hall, 350 South 5th Street,
Minneapolis, MN. Business
hours:
8:00am-4:30pm
Monday-Friday.
• Bring a photo id. You may
NOT call the Warrant Unit
to inquire about the status of
a warrant because Sheriff’s
Office personnel must verify
your identity.

POLICE TURN TO 7

Wilmington ten key witness: ‘A good n—–’
By Cash Michaels
Special to the NNPA
from the Wilmington
Journal
WILMINGTON, N.C. – His name
was Allen Hall. In 1972, he was
the star witness for the prosecution
in the conspiracy trials against the
Wilmington Ten – 10 civil rights
activists, led by Rev. Benjamin
F. Chavis – falsely accused of
firebombing a White-owned
grocery store during the height of
racial violence in Wilmington in
1971.
According to New Hanover
County prosecutor Jay Stroud,
Hall, a convicted felon, had the
goods on Chavis and the others,
and could confirm details of the
arson conspiracy.
There was just one problem: in
order to get Hall to falsely testify,
Stroud had to keep the young
troubled Black man happy.
How happy?
In a prison letter dated August
16, 1972 – a copy obtained
exclusively by the Wilmington
Journal newspaper last week from
prosecutor Stroud’s infamous
Wilmington Ten court files being
kept at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Wilson
Library – Allen Hall wanted the
prosecutor to keep him happy.
“Just a few lines to tell you that
I need a woman,” stated the very
first sentence of the letter from
Onslow County prison inmate
Hall (who was known as “Allen
Graham” behind bars so that other
inmates wouldn’t know he was
working with a DA) to prosecutor
Stroud.
Later in the missive, Hall tells
the prosecutor, “You feel like a
father to me, and that is why I
call on you so much when I need
someone.”
Saying that he didn’t have a
father when he was growing up,
Hall writes Stroud, “You make
me know the real Allen, and what
life is about. But the love that what
(sic) I have for you is what a son
have for a father. To me you are
that father I never had.”
Hall writes about not caring
what Black people in Wilmington,
or apparently one of his girlfriends,
“Deborah,” thinks about his
testifying against Ben Chavis. And

News and Observer of Raleigh

Thirty years after they were convicted, “The Wilmington Ten” fight to have their names cleared.
yet, Hall openly struggles with the
idea that he will, and how it could
hurt his family, apparently at the
direction of prosecutor Stroud.
“Will my love (sic) ones
have a bad time for me [if] I tell
on Chavis [?],” Hall writes. “My
mind is going up and down, and
around, when will it stop. How
many times will I ask my self this
over and over [?]”
By the end of the three-page
letter, Hall is literally begging
Stroud to let him see either
Deborah or another apparent
girlfriend, “Antionette.”
Hall closes the letter by
writing, “I will be a good nigger.”
Hall signs it, “From Allen
Graham, or Stroud Jr.”
It was clear from the letter
that Stroud’s star witness was
emotionally attached to the White
prosecutor.
Newly revealed Stroud file
documents show the prosecutor’s
efforts to move Hall, and another
state’s witness, from different
prison camps by the Onslow
County Sheriff’s Department, to

the beach house where they stayed
during the trial.
Official documents also show
police officers and Sheriff’s
deputies were used to guard
Hall, and detailed efforts, “…to
transport a young girl, along with
her mother, to the beach [house]
because Hall said that the two of
them were in love and he needed
to see and talk with her,” according
to Pardons Project attorney Irving
Joyner.
But it was also clear from
notes in Stroud’s own handwriting
–which he has recently claimed
as his – that he was having
trouble keeping the young Black
convicted felon on his proverbial
leash.
In June 1972, when Stroud
was contemplating forcing a
mistrial in the first Wilmington
Ten trial because the jury ended
up not being the “KKK and Uncle
Tom-type” that he sought, but
rather 10 Blacks and two Whites,
the prosecutor drew up a list of
“Disadvantages and Advantages
of a Mistrial” on the back of a legal

pad.
The number two reason on
the “disadvantages” side was, “…
could effect Hall’s attitude and
other witnesses.”
The number seven reason on
the “advantages” side was “…to
keep out Hall’s letter”…from the
trial, apparently one of many Hall
had written, that would somehow
cast doubt on his witness’s
testimony, and confirm that Stroud
was putting Hall up to it.
When the first Wilmington Ten
trial was indeed aborted because
Hall feigned “sickness,” and the
second trial commenced in Sept.
1972, Hall did testify against the
defendants.
According to the formal
Wilmington Ten pardon petition
to N.C. Gov. Beverly Perdue
submitted last May by Pardon
Project attorney Joyner and lead
defense attorney James Ferguson,
“Hall’s testimony, which was
given during a week of heated
and contentious testimony, was
the only alleged eyewitness
account of criminal conduct by

any Wilmington Ten member
during the events from February
4th through February 7th [1971]…”
The petition continued, “Hall’s
testimony
was
peripherally
supported by Jerome Mitchell, a
convicted felon and 17-year-old
high school dropout, and Eric
Junius, a 12-year-old junior high
school drop-out. As recognized
by the Fourth Circuit Court of
Appeals (Dec. 1980 decision):
“When the trial record is examined,
it is readily apparent that North
Carolina’s case depended entirely
on Hall’s credibility.”
In that U.S. Fourth Circuit
1980 decision, it was determined
that all three state’s witnesses had
all been paid in some form by the
prosecutor.
“During Hall’s trial testimony,
he was repeatedly and vigorously
cross-examined
by
defense
attorneys who confronted Hall
with
numerous
significant
contradictions between his trial

TEN TURN TO 15

Violence is ‘as American as cherry pie’
Commentary by
George E. Curry
NNPA Editor-in-Chief
WASHINGTON
(NNPA)
– In the late 1960s, Black
revolutionary H. Rap Brown,
now known as Jamil Abdullah
al-Amin, was often quoted
as saying violence is “as
American as cherry pie.” More
than 40 years after the Student
Non-Violent
Coordinating
Committee (SNCC) firebrand
made that pronouncement, the
numbers supports his assertion.
According to the Brady
Campaign to Prevent Gun
Violence, nearly 100,000 people
in the U.S. are shot each year
in murders, assaults, suicides,
accidents or by law enforcement
officials. Of the 31,593 who
died in 2008 from gun violence,
2,179 were murdered; 18,223
killed themselves; 592 were
killed accidently; 326 were
killed during police intervention
and 273 died, but the intent was
unknown.
The report shows that 66,769
survived gun injuries, including
44,466 who were injured in a
gun attack; 3,013 were injured
during a suicide attempt;
18,610 were shot accidently
and 679 were shot during police
intervention.
On average, according to the
Brady Campaign:
Every day, 270 people in
America, 47 of them children
and teens, are shot in murders,
assaults, suicides, accidents and
police intervention;
Every day, 87 people die
from gun violence, 33 of them
murdered;
Every day, eight children and
teens die from gun violence;

Every day, 183 people are
shot, but survive their gun
injuries and
Every day, 38 children and
teens are shot, but survive their
gun injuries.
Every time there is mass
murder, there are flashbacks to
earlier killings: The University

Aurora, Colorado at the midnight
premier of the Batman movie,
“The Dark Knight Rises.” And
in August, seven people were
killed at three injured at a Sikh
temple in a Milwaukee suburb.
Other
terrorizing
acts
also come to mind, including
Timothy
McVeigh’s
1995

Even at its greatly reduced
level [compared to past
decades], the U.S. is far
more violent than other
high-income countries.

of Texas tower sniper in 1966,
the 1986 post office shootings
in Edmond, Oklahoma that
inspired the term “going postal,”
the Columbine High massacre
in 1999, the deadly shooting
spree at Virginia Tech in 2007,
the Fort Hood Texas mass
murder in 2009, the weird-look
on the face of Jared Loughner
after he fatally shot six people
and injured 12 others last year,
including
Congresswoman
Gabrielle Giffords, in Tucson.
This year has seen an
unusual number of high-profile
shootings. In April, three Black
people were killed and two more
injured in Tulsa as part of a hate
crime. In July, 12 people were
killed and 58 were injured in

bombing of the federal building
in Oklahoma City and Ted
Kaczynski,
the
Harvardeducated
“Unabomber,”
who was sentenced to eight
consecutive life sentences in
1998 for killing three people and
injuring 23 others over a 20-year
period.
And, now a mass slaughter at
an elementary school.
At a prayer vigil Sunday
night in Newtown, Conn. for
the 20 children, most of them
6- or 7-years-old, and six adults,
President Obama said it is time
to explore what can be done to
curb gun violence.
He said, “Can we honestly
say that we’re doing enough
to keep our children – all of

them – safe from harm? Can
we claim, as a nation, that
we’re all together there, letting
them know that they are loved,
and teaching them to love in
return? Can we say that we’re
truly doing enough to give all
the children of this country the
chance they deserve to live out
their lives in happiness and with
purpose? I’ve been reflecting
on this the last few days, and if
we’re honest with ourselves, the
answer is no. We’re not doing
enough. And we will have to
change.”
In the wake of the latest
shooting spree, even some
longtime
National
Rifle
Association supporters are
saying we need more stringent
gun laws.
Senator Sen. Joe Manchin
(D-West Va.) – who has an “A”
rating from the NRA – said: “I
just came with my family from
deer hunting,” Manchin said on
MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “I’ve
never had more than three shells
in a clip. Sometimes you don’t
get more than one shot anyway
at a deer. It’s common sense. It’s
time to move beyond rhetoric.
We need to sit down and have
a common-sense discussion and
move in a reasonable way.”
Even Rupert Murdock,
CEO of News Corp., asked
rhetorically on his Twitter
account, “When will politicians
find courage to ban automatic
weapons?” Murdock’s media
empire includes Fox News,
which strongly advocates progun positions.
Although it may not seem
like it, America is less violent
than it was two decades ago,
according the FBI crime
statistics. The homicide rate,
which peaked at 10 per 100,000

in the early 1990s, is now about
half that rate. However, the same
can’t be said of mass murders,
defined as involving the deaths
of at least four people.
James Alan Fox, professor
of criminology, law and
public policy at Northeastern
University in Boston, said there
is no pattern with mass murders.
He said there were 645 massmurder events between 1976
and 2010.
Even at its greatly reduced
level, the U.S. is far more
violent than other high-income
countries. Data from the World
Health Organization for 2003
from 23 heavily populated highincome countries showed that
the U.S. had far higher rates of
firearm deaths than the other 22
countries studied.
In fact, of the 23 countries
examined, 80 percent of all
firearm deaths occurred in the
U.S., 86 percent of all women
killed by firearms were females
living in the United States and of
all children 14 and under killed
by firearms, 87 percent of them
were in the U.S.
Speaking in Connecticut,
Obama said, “Since I’ve been
president, this is the fourth
time we have come together to
comfort a grieving community
torn apart by a mass shooting.
The fourth time we’ve hugged
survivors. The fourth time we’ve
consoled the families of victims.
And in between, there have
been an endless series of deadly
shootings across the country,
almost daily reports of victims,
many of them children, in small
towns and big cities all across
America –
victims whose –
much of the time, their only fault
was being in the wrong place at
the wrong time.”

Page 4 • December 24 - December 30, 2012 • Insight News

insightnews.com

BUSINESS
Wiggle room: Why employers pay what they pay
Plan Your
Career
By Julie Desmond
julie@insightnews.com
Is there any wiggle room in the
salary? Can they go any higher
on the pay? Will they bend at
all on the dollar amount? Not
surprisingly, people considering
accepting a job offer commonly
ask for “a little more.” Some
people think they have to. They
want to tell their friends and

former colleagues about their
negotiating prowess and to feel
the power that seems to come
with starting a new job on one’s
own terms.
I’m here to tell you, no, there
is no wiggle room. But that
doesn’t mean you can’t negotiate.
You just can’t negotiate on the
pay. Here’s why.
Rewind back to before
someone wrote a job offer with
your name on it. Go back before
your interviews. Before you
applied. Before this position
was posted on Career Builder or
LinkedIn. Your position was just
a gleam in some manager’s eye
who said, this company needs
someone who can (fill in your

job title). Maybe someone left
unexpectedly, or perhaps this is
a newly created position. Either
way, someone thought they
needed you enough to spend
time talking with others in the
organization about bringing
someone like you aboard.
As the idea to hire someone
took hold, the question of pay
range came up. If the company
uses pay grades, the research
was already completed and the
pay range was established. If no
pay grades exist, research was
conducted before the job could be
posted.
Where does the number come
from? As of January 1, 2012, the
minimum wage in MN is $6.15

per hour for large companies
(making $625,000 or more) and
$5.25 for small organizations.
So let’s start there. Remember,
servers and others can be paid
less than minimum wage, because
they typically earn part of their
income in tips. Be generous this
holiday season!
Next, employers look at
current
wage
information.
Using common search engines,
employers can look at what other
companies are paying for similar
positions. Location is always
taken into consideration: you
will be offered more money for
the same job in New York than
in Minneapolis, because the cost
of living in New York is higher.

Demand is another factor. If
your skills are unique or hard to
find, or if your position requires
specific training, certifications
or licensure, you will be paid
accordingly.
Finally, employers look at
equity within the company. They
can’t pay a new cashier more
than they pay his or her manager.
They have to be fair and equitable
across the team.
Fast forward to your job offer.
When the team decided you were
right for the job, a compensation
analyst took a look at your story
personally. He or she reviewed
your education, work history and
likely role in the company going
forward. Do you bring unique

value because you worked for a
competitor or because you are a
former Veteran? The number on
your offer letter is not random. It
is fair. Accept it.
And then move on to negotiate
where you can: vacation days,
work-related expenses, flexible
schedules… these are areas
where a manager might be able to
wiggle. Good luck!
Julie Desmond is IT Recruiting
Manager with George Konik
Associates, Inc.
Send your
career planning and job search
questions to Julie at jdesmond@
georgekonik.com.

Purchasing a gift card? Read this first
Gift cards make excellent presents,
especially during the holidays
when you’re unsure of what to
buy for a family member or friend.
But like everything else, gift cards
may have hidden fees and strings
attached.
The BBB reminds
consumers it’s important to read
the fine print before making your
purchase and presenting gift cards
to co-workers, friends or loved
ones.
In recent years, both the United
States and Canada have made
changes in federal laws to improve

consumers’ chances of getting full
value out of the cards they buy
and give. These rules generally
apply to gift certificates, store
gift cards and general use prepaid
cards, which are often branded by
payment networks such as Visa or
MasterCard.
Despite some historical issues
with gift cards – such as cards
getting lost or people receiving
cards which have had their value
siphoned off by scammers – sales
of gift cards are still expected to
increase this year. According to a

survey by Consumer Reports, 62
percent of consumers are planning
to buy gift cards this holiday
season.
Here are some helpful tips from
BBB regarding gift card purchases:
Buy from sources you know
and trust. Avoid buying gift cards
from online auction sites, because
the cards may be counterfeit or may
have been obtained fraudulently.
Read the fine print before
you buy. Is there a fee to buy the
card? If you buy a card by phone
or online, are there shipping and

handling fees? If you don’t like
the terms and conditions, buy
elsewhere.
See whether any fees will be
deducted from the card after you
purchase it.
Inspect the card before
you buy it. Verify that none of
the protective stickers have been
removed. Make sure that the codes
on the back of the card haven’t
been scratched off to reveal a PIN
number. Report any damaged
cards to the store selling the cards.
Give the recipient your

original receipt so they can verify
the card’s purchase in case it is lost
or stolen.
Consider
the
financial
condition of the retailer or
restaurant.
Know the rules: Visit .ftc.gov/
bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/
alt010.pdf for more information on
gift cards.
For more holiday tips that you
can trust, visit www.bbb.org/us/
Consumer-Tips/.
The

mission

of

the

Better

Business Bureau is to be the
leader in building marketplace
trust by promoting, through selfregulation, the highest standards
of business ethics and conduct, and
to instill confidence in responsible
businesses through programs of
education and action that inform,
assist and protect the general
public. Our hours of operation are
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through
Friday. Contact the BBB at bbb.org
or 651-699-1111, toll-free at 1-800646-6222. Visit our Centennial
website at bbbis100.org.

DEED awards small-business loans
The Minnesota Department of
Employment and Economic
Development (DEED) awarded
$1.03 million in loans that will
help small businesses create
233 jobs statewide and retain
another 472 jobs.
The loans were awarded
under the agency’s State Small
Business Credit Initiative,
which uses federal funding
to stimulate private-sector
lending that enables small
manufacturers
and
other
businesses to expand. DEED
officials estimate the loans will
leverage an additional $15.89
million in private capital.
In all, 31 Minnesota
businesses
will
receive

loans, including Northshore
Manufacturing Inc. in Two
Harbors, the French Hen
Café in St. Paul and STAFF
Manufacturing
in
Lester
Prairie.
“One of the biggest
challenges faced by promising
small businesses is gaining
access to capital in the early
stages of their development,”
said DEED Commissioner
Katie Clark Sieben. “This
program provides Minnesota
businesses with funding that
will enable them to expand and
create jobs.”
The funding was distributed
through three state funds
that were created under the

Katie Clark Sieben
initiative:
Emerging Entrepreneurs
Fund - The fund supports
micro-enterprises and small
businesses with fewer than
50
employees,
targeting
minority- and women-owned
businesses and those located in
economically distressed areas.

Funds may be used for start-up
costs, working capital, business
procurement, franchise fees,
equipment, inventory, as well
as the purchase, construction
renovation,
or
tenant
improvements of an eligible
place of business that is not for
passive real estate investment.
• Total funding distributed:
16 loans worth $615,000
• Jobs: 64 created and 323.5
retained
• Private capital: $10.84
million
Small Business Loan
Guarantee
Program
The
program
guarantees
up to 70 percent of a loan
made
by
non-traditional
lenders
like
community
development
corporations,
community
development
finance institutions and other
nonprofit entities. Banks and

DEED TURN TO 6

insightnews.com

Insight News • December 24 - December 30, 2012 • Page 5

COMMENTARY
Time to end political divide and concur
Nobody
Asked Me

By Fred Easter
A lot of television talking heads
seem to think Republicans
don’t understand why they lost
the election.
I
think
Republicans
understand that demographics
are changing. They just don’t
give a damn about the changing
demographics. They’ve been
at work trying to neutralize
the effect of these emerging
demographics for some years
now.
I don’t believe they are
figuring ways to woo you
to their side. I think they’re
figuring ways to tie your hands
when next it’s time to vote.
Republicans and their Tea
Party co-conspirators spent a
ton of money on their failed, top
down approach to stealing the
country “back.” But, that has
only been part of the plan. True,
they had Gov. Mitt Romney

poised to repeal “Obamacare,”
eviscerate Social Security and
Medicare, deregulate Wall
Street and protect corporate
tax loopholes. But, Plan B has
been humming along for years.
We thought the long
lines we saw at the polls
in ‘08 were the signs of a
great popular groundswell
of support for Obama. Try
to remember footage of long
lines of upper class white
folks in largely Republican
counties. I can’t either. Long
lines are manipulated in
traditionally Democratic areas
in an effort to discourage those
voters. In 2004 and 2008, the
organization, ACORN, had an
impact on voter registration in
urban areas. It was vilified and
attacked by Republicans, using
undercover operatives posing
as pimps and whores; code for
criminals “in the urban life.”
By mid-2010 ACORN
was gone, lines at the polls
were getting longer, voter
ID laws were being enacted
or attempted in states where
Republicans were in control
of legislatures and governors’
mansions. That effort has
mushroomed.
By
2011
Wisconsin Governor Scott

Walker was piloting the effort
to break unions in his state.
Massive amounts of outside
money fueled that effort and
his later fight against recall.
These type efforts will not

thirds of President Obama’s
campaign contributions came
from large donors. Some of
that had to be unions like
United Auto Workers. Make
no mistake, if (or when)

We must be about keeping
our coalition together
and working toward
Democratically controlled
House, Senate, governors’
mansions and legislatures.
stop. They are constantly being
refined. Now, Michigan’s lame
duck legislature has passed
“right to work” laws. So, the
political landscape in Michigan
has been drastically altered
by some legislators who’ve
already been voted out of office
or “recalled.”
I’ve heard that two-

the number of dues paying
workers diminishes; the money
that unions have to spend on
politicians who support their
interests diminishes, as well.
Unions have allowed the
worker to stand toe-to-toe with
the employer. Before unions,
employers set wages, work
hours, conditions and benefits

as they wished.
And the “ground game”
– door knocking and phone
banking, that was so often
referred to as being responsible
for getting Obama’s support to
the polls was made up, in large
part, by union rank and file.
So, we have the misnamed
Citizens United which allows
corporate money by the
million to insert itself into
the political process while
shielding its name and brand
from view. Not only is it an
abomination that a corporation
can spend its money in a way
that would anger its employees
and customers. Customers
have no way of retaliating. So,
citizens can send their $50 to
their candidate of choice and
be unaware that every third
latte or tank of gas winds up
in the campaign fund of their
candidate’s opponent. You
can’t have the information
you’d need to decide between
Caribou
and
Starbucks,
for example. Pick any two
competitors here. Imagine
if you knew that AT&T was
supporting the candidate that
wanted to limit women’s
access to reproductive health
screenings and T-Mobile was

supporting
the
opponent.
Who would you decide to be
overpaying for cell service?
In the coming months, you
are likely to hear of Republican
plans to continue to undercut
the capacity of this coalition of
people of color, young women,
gays, Latinos and middle class
working folks.
And, even though the
next Democratic presidential
candidate is likely to be white,
don’t expect Republicans
to be wooing the AfricanAmerican vote. They like us
best shackled, castrated and
emasculated. I expect them
to stop talking about “self
deportation” and access to
contraceptives, but code words
like food stamps will continue
to be used to frighten the
working poor white folks in
their pickup trucks.
Divide and conquer is a time
honored tactic and strategy.
We must be about keeping our
coalition together and working
toward
Democratically
controlled House, Senate,
governors’
mansions
and
legislatures. Otherwise, they
will deport the rest of our jobs
and continue to imprison our
young folks.

Dear God! When will it stop?
By Marian Wright Edelman
The horrendous news from
Newtown, Connecticut has
pierced our hearts. A blackclad man in his 20s armed
with
two
semi-automatic
handguns entered the Sandy
Hook Elementary School and
made an elementary school for
kindergartners through fourth
graders the scene of the worst
mass shooting in a public
school in American history.
Twenty children were shot and

these were elementary schoolage children. If those children
and teens were still alive they
would fill 108 classrooms of
25 each. Since 1979 when gun
death data were first collected
by age, a shocking 119,079
children and teens have been
killed by gun violence. That is
more child and youth deaths in
America than American battle
deaths in World War I (53,402)
or in Vietnam (47,434) or in the
Korean War (33,739) or in the
Iraq War (3,517). Where is our
anti-war movement to protect
children from pervasive gun
violence here at home?
This slaughter of innocents
happens because we protect
guns, before children and other
human beings. Our hearts and
prayers go out to the parents
and teachers and children and

Our children deserve better
By Benjamin Todd
Jealous, NNPA Guest
Columnist
Every generation believes their
children deserve to be better
off than they were. This belief
inspired the first slave rebellion
in 1663, when a new law dictated
that children of African slaves
would not be able to rise above
the status of their parents. This
belief led Linda Brown’s parents
and the NAACP to defeat
segregated schooling. And it is
this belief that keeps education
at the center of the modern-day
movement for social justice.
Brown
v.
Board
of
Education built a launching
pad for education in the 21st
century by removing barriers to
equality and opening doors to
opportunity. African Americans
gained the confidence that their
children, and generations of
children to come, would indeed
have access to a better future.
But somewhere along the way,
America sputtered and lost its
way.
Nearly 50 years after the
end of desegregation, we are
still only sending about one out
of four students to college. In
a knowledge-based economy,
excluding three fourths of our
students from higher education
is no longer acceptable.
According to the Organization
for Economic Co-operation and
Development, the United States
ranked 14th out of 34 OECD
countries for reading skills, 17th
for science and a below-average
25th for mathematics. Secretary
of Education Arne Duncan
called this “an absolute wake-up
call for America.”
The time for tinkering and
small-scale experimentation is
over. In order to lead the world’s
global economy, we must create
the world’s brightest workforce.
This starts by fixing our
education so that all students can
graduate college- and careerready.
The
NAACP
recently
released a report titled “Finding

Our Way Back to First:
Reclaiming World Leadership
by Educating All America’s
Children.” Our proactive agenda
builds off the foundation laid by
Brown v. Board of Education,

the entire Newtown community
that has been ripped apart by
each bullet shot this morning.
We know from past school
shootings and the relentless
killing of children every day
that Newtown families and the
community will never be the
same. The Newtown families
who lost children today will
never be the same. The families
of the teachers who were
killed will never be the same.
Every child at the Sandy Hook

Elementary School this morning
will never be the same.
Each and all of us must do
more to stop this intolerable
and wanton epidemic of gun
violence and demand that our
political leaders do more. We
can’t just talk about it after
every mass shooting and then
do nothing until the next mass
shooting when we profess shock
and talk about it again. The latest
terrible tragedy at Sandy Hook
Elementary School is no fluke.

It is a result of the senseless,
immoral neglect of all of us as a
nation to protect children instead
of guns and to speak out against
the pervasive culture of violence
and proliferation of guns in our
nation. It is up to us to stop these
preventable tragedies.
We have so much work to
do to build safe communities for
our children and need leaders at
all levels of government who

EDELMAN TURN TO 10

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®

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killed. Seven adults were shot
and killed. We don’t yet know
how many were wounded. We
do know dozens of parents
are experiencing the worst
nightmare any parent could
imagine. We do know more than
500 young children in the school
are traumatized.
Once again we are faced
with unspeakable horror from
gun violence and once again
we are reminded that there is
no safe harbor for our children.
How young do the victims
have to be and how many
children need to die before we
stop the proliferation of guns
in our nation and the killing
of innocents? The most recent
statistics reveal 2,694 children
and teens were killed by gunfire
in 2010; 1,773 of them were
victims of homicide and 67 of

BEST ACTOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS BEST ORIGINAL SONG

HUGH JACKMAN

ANNE HATHAWAY

“SUDDENLY”

and it is just as focused on quality
as it is on access to education.
“Finding Our Way Back to
First” offers research-informed

IN THEATERS EVERYWHERE CHRISTMAS DAY
CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES

Page 6 • December 24 - December 30, 2012 • Insight News

insightnews.com

EDUCATION
After Newtown, teachers are the new heroes
New America Media,
Commentary, Andrew
Lam, Posted: Dec 18,
2012
Long ago in my native homeland,
Vietnam, I used to bow. As a
grade school student, with arms
folded, and eyes staring at my
sandaled feet, I would mumble,
“Thua thay!” – Greetings
Teacher! – whenever I’d run into
a teacher in the hallway or enter
a classroom.
Such was the Old World
tradition that honored and
paid respect to the teaching
profession.
That
habit
quickly
disappeared, however, when I
joined 7th grade in America. My
way was entirely out of sync with
U.S. culture. American kids were
rowdy, wore colorful clothes and
sometimes even swore at their
teachers. And teaching was not
mere instruction in America, I
found. It was part babysitting,
dealing with the unruliness that
was the result of a society that
increasingly emphasized selfesteem and individualism over
achievement itself.
Teaching is still a noble
profession but it’s a difficult
and underpaid one, often with
work overloads and a shrinking
budget that results in classroom
overcrowding.
With the tragedy of Sandy
Hook, however, with 20 grade
school students massacred by
a madman and two teachers
who died protecting them in

DEED
From 4
credit unions will benefit by a
reduction in overall financing
risk.
Funds may be used for
construction;
remodeling

New America Media

Newtown, Conn., the image of
the teacher in America has gone
from an underappreciated chore
to that of a hero.
Indeed, if TIME Magazine
were to pick its Persons of
the Year, it is hard to imagine
that Victoria Soto and Dawn
Hochsprung would not make the
cut. Soto, a first grade teacher at
Sandy Hook, hid her students and
shielded others from the bullets
of Adam Lanza, the assailant
who committed one of the worse
mass killings in the U.S. history.
And Hochsprung, the school
principal and mother of five,
reportedly launched herself at
Lanza, trying to overpower him.
Both Soto and Hochsprung died
protecting their charges.
But long before the Sandy
Hook tragedy, many Americans
already knew that a good teacher
could, if not save, then change
and inspire lives for the better.
Many
luminaries
from
humble beginning continue to
cite teachers as the main reason
of their successes. Tom Hanks,
for instance, thanked his high

school drama teacher when
winning his Academy Award
for his role in Philadelphia.
Oprah Winfrey is famously
quoted touting the success of
her elementary school teacher,
Mary Duncan Wharton. “I know
I wouldn’t be where I am today
without my fourth grade teacher,
Mrs. Duncan,” she has said.
“She so believed in me, and for
the first time, made me embrace
the idea of learning. I learned to
love learning because of Mrs.
Duncan.”
And James Baldwin owes
much of his formative years
to a white schoolteacher who
recognized his talents, took him
to plays and brought him books.
“She was really a very sweet
and generous woman and went
to a great deal of trouble to be
of help to us, particularly during
one awful winter,” he recalled in
Notes of a Native Son.
My first teacher in America
was Mr. Kaeselau, a man whose
compassion
and
kindness
comforted my otherwise painful
life in exile. Mr. K taught 7th

or
renovation;
leasehold
improvements; purchase of
land, buildings, machinery
and equipment; maintenance
or repair; expenses related
to moving into or within
Minnesota;
and
working
capital (if secured by fixed
assets).
• Total loan guarantees:
One loan for $224,000

• Jobs: 38 retained
• Private capital: $2.23
million
Capital Access Program
- The program encourages
banks, credit unions and
community
development
finance institutions operating
in Minnesota to make loans
that fall just outside the normal
underwriting standards of

grade English and spent his
lunchtime tutoring me when the
language was still unfamiliar to
my Vietnamese ear, difficult on
my tongue. He gave me my first
book to read. He drove me home
when I missed my bus.
But
while
influential
teachers continue to instruct and
inspire many youngsters in this
country, the profession itself
has taken a hit. While the media
loves salacious narratives of the
teachers who fail in their duties
– there’s that recent conviction
of the Texan teacher who had
group sex with four high school
students, and the ongoing saga
of the Modesto, Calif., teacher
who eloped with his student,
abandoning his wife and kids –
many potentially good teachers
leave the profession for better
pay.
Disaffected teachers cite the
lack of parents’ involvement as
a primary cause of faltering of
education and overcrowding as a
major cause of stress.
And even if respect is still
associated with the profession,
the economy is far from showing
its appreciation. Many bright
young people who would have
gone into teaching have told me
they were deterred by financial
insecurity. “The only way we are
going to make gains in education
is if the quality of teachers goes
up — and in our capitalist
society, that quite simply means
paying teachers more,” writes
Matt Amaral, a high school
English teacher. “This might be
the single-biggest solution no

one is talking about.”
“I would consider teaching
seriously but if I ever want to
own a house in the Bay Area,
I might as well forget that
profession,” a graduate from
UC Berkeley once told me. In
Silicon Valley, in order to keep
talented teachers, there are now
housing units being built for
many who couldn’t afford a
home, as the average salary for
a beginning elementary school
teacher is around $40,000 in
a county where the median
income is around $85,000.
Student-teacher relationships
seem to suffer in a world
defined by social media like
Twitter,
Instagram
and
Facebook, not to mention sites
like RateMyTeacher.com. So
many students now blog and
tweet about their teachers, and
teachers, fearful of defamation,
vigilantly troll the Internet. The
children’s hour has extended to
24-7 online, and this too adds to
the stress of being a teacher.
“Teaching is not a lost art,”
the historian Jacques Barzun
once observed, “but the regard
for it is a lost tradition.”
But perhaps that regard is no
longer lost at this extraordinary
juncture in American life, after
the tragedy of Sandy Hook.
The deaths of the innocents and
the heroic sacrifice of the two
women have ushered our nation
to a turning point. Along with
the collective need to reevaluate
the country’s lax gun control
laws, is a renewed reverence of
the role of the teacher.

lenders. Loans are available
for industrial, commercial or
agricultural businesses with up
to 500 employees.
Funds may be used for
start-up
costs,
working
capital, business acquisitions
and expansions, franchise
financing,
equipment
loans, inventory financing,
construction, and commercial,

non-passive
real
estate
acquisitions.
• Total funding distributed:
14 loan supports valued at
$193,500
• Jobs: 169 created and
111 retained
•
Private capital: $2.82
million
More details about the
programs are available on

Many, from Peggy Noonan
to Fr. Jonathan Morris, a wellknown Catholic priest, now refer
to ours as a “culture of death”
– from gun obsession to bloodsoaked video games to daily
stories of gun violence to our
drone wars abroad – two women
stood at the door of life. If there
was unspeakable carnage at
Sandy Hook, there, too, was
unimaginable sacrifice. What’s
more noble, after all, than to
give up one’s life so that others
may live?
The teachers who died
protecting their charges speak
volumes to tender human
relationships that have always
been at the core of the teaching
vocation. And so, almost four
decades after I gave up that
old tradition, to Victoria Soto
and Dawn Hochsprung—to all
dedicated teachers—I bow.
New America Media editor,
Andrew Lam is the author of
“Perfume Dreams: Reflections
on the Vietnamese Diaspora”
(Heyday Books, 2005), which
recently won a Pen American
“Beyond the Margins” award
and “East Eats West: Writing
in Two Hemispheres,” from
which the piece above was
excerpted. His next book, “Birds
of Paradise Lost” is due out in
March 01, 2013. He has lectured
and read his workwidely at many
universities.
Follow Andrew on Twitter
https://twitter.com/andrewqlam

the DEED website at www.
PositivelyMinnesota.com/
ssbci.
DEED is the state’s principal
economic
development
agency, promoting business
recruitment,
expansion
and
retention,
workforce
development,
international
trade
and
community
development..

insightnews.com

Insight News • December 24 - December 30, 2012 • Page 7

AESTHETICS

Jamie unchained
Interview

By Kam Williams
kam@insightnews.com
Academy
Award-winning
actor, talented Grammy Awardwinning musical artist and
comedian Jamie Foxx is one of
Hollywood’s rare, elite multifaceted performers. He was last
seen in Horrible Bosses and also
recently lent his vocal talents to
the popular animated adventure
RIO, as a canary named ‘Nico.’
Meanwhile, Jamie recently
executive produced a sketch
comedy series called “In the
Flow with Affion Crockett”
as well as “Thunder Soul,” a
documentary chronicling the
achievements of Houston’s
Kashmere High School Stage
Band.
In addition to his outstanding
work in film, Foxx has enjoyed
a thriving career in music. In
December 2010, he released
his fourth album, “Best Night
of My Life,” featuring Drake,
Justin Timberlake, Rick Ross,
T.I., and other artists. In January
2010, Foxx and T-Pain’s record
breaking #1 song “Blame It”
off of his previous album,
“Intuition,” won “Best R&B
performance by a duo/group
with vocals” at the 52nd Annual
Grammy Awards.
In 2010, Foxx delivered a
hilarious cameo appearance
in “Due Date,” and appeared
in the hit romantic comedy
“Valentine’s Day.” The year
before, he starred opposite
Gerard Butler in Overture Films’
dramatic thriller “Law Abiding
Citizen.”
Jamie demonstrated his
affinity and respect for fictional
portrayals with “The Soloist”

in which he played Nathaniel
Anthony Ayer, a real-life
musical prodigy who developed
schizophrenia and dropped out
of Julliard, becoming a homeless
musician who wonders the
streets of Los Angeles. Prior to
that, he played the leader of a
counter-terrorist team in “The
Kingdom.”
In December 2006, Foxx
was seen in the critically
acclaimed screen adaptation
of the Broadway musical,
“Dreamgirls.” That came on the
heels of his Best Actor Academy
Award-winning performance as
the legendary Ray Charles in
“Ray.”
His big-screen break came
back in 1999 when Oliver Stone
cast him as star quarterback
Willie Beamen in “Any
Given Sunday.” The versatile
thespian’s additional film credits
include “Ali”, “Miami Vice”,
“Jarhead”, “Stealth”, “Bait”,
“Booty Call”, “The Truth about
Cats and Dogs”, “The Great
White Hype”, and an Oscarnominated supporting role in
“Collateral.”
Jamie first rose to fame
as a comedian, from which
he initiated a potent career
trajectory
of
ambitious
projects. After spending time
on the comedy circuit, he
joined Keenan Ivory Wayans,
Jim Carrey, Damon Wayans
and Tommy Davidson in the
landmark Fox sketch comedy
series, “In Living Color,”
creating some of the show’s
funniest and most memorable
moments. In 1996, he launched
his own series, “The Jamie Foxx
Show,” on the WB Network.
Here, he talks about playing
the title role of slave-turnedbounty hunter Django opposite
Christoph Waltz, Samuel L.
Jackson, Kerry Washington and
Leonardo DiCaprio in Quentin
Tarantino’s Django Unchained.
Kam Williams: Hi Jamie,
thanks so much for the time.

I’m honored to have another
opportunity to interview you.
Jamie Foxx: [Playfully
clears his throat, before
answering in a very refined tone]
Why thank you. [Chuckles.
Then, speaks in his normal
voice] What’s happening with it,
Kam?
KW: I suppose I should
start by asking if you’d like to
comment on the recent shootings
in Connecticut?
JF: I got two daughters, man,
and all I want people to do is to
mourn the loss of these precious
kids and their teachers and to
pray that their families heal.
KW: What interested you in
Django Unchained?
JF: Quentin Tarantino…
Leonardo DiCaprio… Samuel
L. Jackson… Christoph Waltz…
Kerry Washington… Oh, man!
It was like an all-star team.
What’s funny is that I didn’t
know anything about Django,
and I was hearing all this buzz
and then I saw online how the
biggest actor in the world, Will
Smith, was going to work with
Quentin Tarantino. And I was
like, “Damn! There’s another
project I didn’t know nothing
about.” But luckily, I somehow
got a chance to meet Quentin and
read the script which I thought
was brilliant. Next thing you
know, I was in a room talking
with him about trying to make it
happen.
KW: Did you have any
reservations?
JF: I didn’t have a knee-jerk
reaction like some people did to
the language and the violence.
My stepfather was a history
teacher at Lincoln High School
in Dallas. So, I was already
familiar with the N-word and
the brutality of slavery. What I
was drawn to was the love story
between Django and Broomhilda
and how he defends and gets the

Columbia Pictures Jamie Foxx in “Django Unchained”

Columbia Pictures

FOXX TURN TO 11

Heartbreaking documentary revisits rush to judgment in infamous jogger case
confessed to the crime because of
his guilty conscience. This gross
miscarriage of justice is recounted
in “The Central Park Five,” a
riveting documentary co-directed
by the father-daughter team of
Ken and Sarah Burns.
The film features reams
of archival footage, including
videotapes of the framed quintet’s
coerced confessions. Mixed in are
present-day reflections by them,
their lawyers, and relatives, as
well as by politicians, prosecutors
and other pivotal players.
A heartbreaking expose’ about
a rush to judgment which ruined
five, innocent young lives.

Film review by
Kam Williams
Around 9 PM on April 19, 1989,
a 28 year-old, female jogger was
brutally beaten, sexually assaulted
and left for dead in a wooded area
of Central Park located off the
beaten path. Because she was an
investment banker with an Ivy
League pedigree, the NYPD felt
the pressure to apprehend the
perpetrators of the heinous crime
ASAP.
Within hours, cops had
extracted confessions from Anton
McCray, Kevin Richardson,
Korey Wise, Yusef Salaam and
Raymond Santana, Jr., teenagers
who had been denied their right
to an attorney. Although none of
the five had ever been arrested
before, they were all convicted
of rape and attempted murder on
the strength of those incriminating
admissions alone.
Part of the explanation for the
legal lynching was that the victim
was a wealthy white woman while
the accused were poor black kids
from Harlem. The press was all too
willing to exploit the hot button
issues of color and class, and the
media sensationalized the case’s
lurid details, coining the term
“wilding” to describe the alleged
behavior of the defendants.
Real estate magnate Donald

Police
From 3
To voluntarily surrender:
• Individuals
may
turn
themselves to local law
enforcement or they may
turn themselves in anytime at
the Hennepin County Public
Safety Facility, also known
as the Hennepin County Jail.
It’s located at 401 South 4th
Avenue, Minneapolis, MN.
• Advise the deputy at the front
lobby that you would like
to turn yourself in. You will
be placed under arrest and
detained in the jail.
• Continued detention will
depend on bail amount, release
conditions, your ability to post
bail, and the court schedule.
• Bring government issued
identification
with
you,
any necessary prescription
medications, and cash, if you

IFC Films

In 1989, five black and Latino teenagers were arrested and charged with brutally attacking and raping a white female jogger in Central Park.
Trump even took out full-page
ads in every New York City
daily newspaper, calling for the
death penalty and saying that
the boys “should be executed
for their crimes.” In the face
of the vigilante-like demand
for vengeance, no one seemed
concerned that the suspects’ DNA
failed to match the only semen
found at the scene.
plan on bailing out.
How to provide tips
Tipsters are encouraged to
contact the Sheriff’s Office
with information concerning
the whereabouts of fugitives by
calling 1-888-988-TIPS.
For anonymous tips, you may
choose from three different ways
to submit tip information.
• Submit an online form –
which can be found at www.
hennepinsheriff.org
• Text us at 847 411 – begin
your message with the
keyword HCSOTip and then
continue entering your tip.
• Download an app for
iPhones or android phones.
The apps can be located by
searching for “HCSOTip”
or “Hennepin.” Clicking on
the app will bring up a tip
form that you fill to provide
information.

Sadly, they were only
exonerated in 2002 after having
completely served sentences

ranging from 6 to 13 years
when Matias Reyes, a serial
rapist whose DNA was a match,

LIFESTYLE
Make your New Year’s celebration sparkle
(StatePoint) No matter if you
are throwing a New Year’s
party or attending one, nobody
wants an evening that’s dull or
routine. But with a few simple
party tips, you can make this
year’s celebration special, no
matter what your plans include:
Gussy Up
Your appearance can set the
mood for your evening -- and
New Year’s Eve is one of the
few times of the year that you
have a great excuse to go all
out. For the wild night on the
town or the small gathering at
home, don’t be afraid to wear
something far bolder than you
normally would consider.
For women, think sparkly
dresses and gloves; for men

Italy by the same process as
Champagne, these wines are
made from Chardonnay and
Pinot Noir, and are rich, creamy
and filled with festive bubbles.
Franciacorta is sold at fine wine
shops around the country. For
more information on bubbles
from the land of amore, visit
www.FranciacortaWines.com.

think bow ties and stylish hats.
Giving your outfit the flair and
pop the holiday deserves can
mean the difference between
an ordinary evening and an
extraordinary one.
Cheers!
When the ball drops, you’re
going to want to have a glass
of something sparkly in your
hands.
If you’re going to a party
or hosting one, consider
toasting to a great year ahead
with something evocative of
sophistication and all things
fine. A delicious sparkling
wine such as Franciacorta, for
example, pairs perfectly with
Auld Lang Syne sing-alongs
and noisemakers. Produced in

StatePoint

Choosing Your Adventure
Most restaurants, bars and
other venues host New Year’s
Eve parties, but unlike most
other nights of the year,
many of these events require
advanced
reservations
or
tickets. You may want to do a
bit of planning ahead of time
so you aren’t left out in the
cold on this big night. Whether
you’re looking for a prixfixe three-course dinner or a
rocking dance party, do your
research.
And if you can’t find
something that suits you and
your friends, throw your own
party. Just be sure to give it a bit
of extra dazzle with danceable
music, rich foods, sparkly
drinks and great people.
Remember,
you
can’t
control every aspect of your
evening and the more pressure
you place on yourself to have
fun, the harder it will be to
achieve. Just relax and enjoy
the flow of the night, wherever
it takes you. Set the mood for
a great 2013 by ringing in the
New Year with a smile on your
face.

HIV/AIDS talks highlight annual NAACP Religious Summit
(Atlanta, GA) – The NAACP
hosted its 14th annual National
Religious Leaders Summit in
Atlanta recently to help move
the faith community back to
its long-held leadership role in
matters of social justice. Faith
leaders committed to working
with the NAACP to address
the HIV/AIDS crisis and other
important issues.
“The NAACP is committed
to strengthening our historical
connection with the faith
community at this crucial
moment in our nation’s
history,”
stated
NAACP

Chairman Roslyn M. Brock.
“We are excited to continue our
partnership in the coming year.”
During
the
three-day
meeting, held December 10 to
12, faith and lay leaders created
a post-election political agenda
for communities of faith,
focused on protecting voting
rights and advancing strategies
for job creation in the African
American community. NAACP
Board of Directors Chairman
Roslyn M. Brock helmed a
dialogue session with mainline
protestant denominations to
discuss the NAACP’s Five

Strategic “Game Changer”
areas.
A significant outcome of
the dialogue was a national
commitment from faith leaders
to address HIV/AIDS in the
black community, in response
to the NAACP’s report The
Black Church and HIV: The
Social Justice Imperative. The
leaders agreed to work with the
NAACP to expand HIV testing
opportunities and offer faithbased training and prevention
education
in
churches,
seminaries, historically black
colleges
and
universities

Shakopee Mdewakanton award
$217,000 in health, medical grants
Five organizations dedicated
to improving health received
grants totaling $217,000 from
the Shakopee Mdewakanton
Sioux Community recently.
The
Association
of
American Indian Physicians
(AAIP)
was
awarded
a
$100,000 matching grant by
the Shakopee Mdewakanton
Sioux Community to assist
American Indian and Alaska
Native
(AI/AN)
students
pursuing a healthcare career.
The tribe’s matching donation
was contributed after AAIP
raised the initial $100,000.
AAIP’s Careers in Health for
Native Students program was
created to increase the number
of tribal members in the health
and wellness workforce. AAIP
assists students in pursuing
education, training, and career
development goals.
“Encouraging
Native
students to pursue careers as
physicians, health professionals,
and biomedical researchers is
one of our primary goals, and
the gift from the Shakopee
Tribe will allow us to continue
this critical work,” said AAIP
Executive Director Margaret
Knight.
Shakopee
Mdewakanton
Sioux Community Chairman
Charlie Vig said, “We support
this program so that more
youth are encouraged to study
the
Science,
Technology,
Engineering, and Math fields
with the ultimate goal of
helping tribal youth become
the leaders of tomorrow. Our
people feel good when they see
American Indian physicians and
healthcare workers involved in
their communities.”
AAIP President Dr. Donna
Galbreath echoed Chairman
Vig’s sentiments on the
importance of seeing tribal
members in healthcare roles
locally.
“Because
Native
American people suffer from
chronic illnesses like diabetes,
tuberculosis, pneumonia, and
influenza at far higher rates
than other racial populations,
we need to groom our own
citizens to be the physicians
and prevention specialists,”
Galbreath said. “Indian people
respond better when their
healthcare needs are in the
hands of Native physicians
and other professionals who
understand their culture and

value both traditional and
Western healing methods.”
Mercy Hospital in Devil’s
Lake, North Dakota, received
a matching grant from the
Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux
Community for $25,000 to
support the establishment of
a diabetes education center.
The 25-bed rural community
hospital serves residents of
Ramsey County as well as
afterhours patients from the
neighboring Spirit Lake Sioux
Reservation. The facility plays
a pivotal role for acute and
rehabilitative care as well as
treats an average of 1,000
emergency room patients per
month. In conjunction with
community agencies, hospital
staff provide wellness and
prevention care, much of it at
no cost to consumers. Mercy
provides inpatient, surgical,
obstetric,
outpatient,
and
laboratory services as well
as cardiac rehabilitation and
24-hour emergency care to
treat injuries and medical
emergencies.
Southside
Community
Health Services, Inc. of
Minneapolis,
Minnesota,
received a matching grant of
$42,000 to replace outdated
dental x-ray sensors for both
adults and children. The
clinic provides high quality,
affordable, accessible, and
comprehensive health care to
patients in south Minneapolis,
seeing more than 70 patients
a day. Medical and dental
services are available to people
of all ages, income levels,
and occupations with services
provided
by
experienced,
multi-lingual doctors, Nurse
Practitioners,
Registered
Nurses, and Licensed Nurses.
Each year the dental staff
provide about 18,000 clinic
visits for nearly 5,000 patients.
With the SMSC and matching
funds, Southside can replace a
total of 14 x-ray sensors.
“Efficiency, patient comfort,
more accurate diagnostics, less
radiation for the patients and up
to date equipment gives us more
credibility with the community
we are trying to serve,” wrote
Chief Development Officer for
Southside Community Services,
Dan J. Williams.
St. Mary’s Health Clinic
in Shakopee, Minnesota, run
by the Sisters of St. Joseph

of Carondelet of the St. Paul
Province, received a donation
of $25,000 from the SMSC for
free health care for low-income
patients without insurance
or medical assistance. The
Shakopee Clinic serves patients
two days a week through
patient visits to the clinic, lab
tests, x-rays, diagnostic tests,
and medications. There are
currently eight clinic sites with
13 clinic sessions each week
in St. Paul, Minneapolis, and
other locations throughout the
Twin Cities metro area serving
people of all faiths and ethnic
backgrounds.
The
clinics
operate in locations where
space has been donated by the
host facility and are staffed by
licensed physicians and nurses,
as well as admissions personnel
and interpreters, who volunteer
their time to work in the clinics.
Specialty referrals are also
available without charge. For a
nearly two decades St. Mary’s
Health Clinics, a ministry of
the Sisters of St. Joseph, has
provided free primary health
care to the uninsured in the
seven county metropolitan
area of St. Paul, Minneapolis,
and their surrounding suburbs.
In that time more than 92,000
visits have been recorded at
the St. Mary’s Health Clinics.
Each year the Shakopee clinic
provides more than 890 free
patient visits. The clinic serves
249 diabetic patients with nearly
1,000 no-cost medications
shared in a year.
The American Diabetes
Association received a grant
for $25,000 from the SMSC
to target diabetes treatment
and prevention in Native
Americans in Minnesota and
for research. Diabetes is one
of the leading causes of heart
disease, heart attack, and
stroke. Together these diseases
represent some of the most
critical health concerns among
American Indians. ADA is the
leading organization working
to prevent and cure diabetes
and to improve the lives of all
people affected by diabetes.
They fund research to prevent,
cure, and manage diabetes;
deliver services to hundreds of
communities; provide objective
and credible information; and
give voice to those denied their
rights because of diabetes.

and organizational national
conventions.
The Summit featured a
national training session on
HIV/AIDS awareness and
prevention that was attended
by approximately 100 pastors,
faith leaders and members of
local NAACP units and state
conferences. Representatives
attended from cities with some
of the highest rates of HIV
prevalence.
“The commitment to engage
in this important work from
the highest offices of these
denominations solidified the

Black Church’s overall concern
and commitment to reverse
the HIV/AIDS epidemic,” said
Brock.
Faith leaders also paid
tribute to a leader of their
own. A Master Preacher Award
was bestowed upon Rev.
Joseph Lowery for lifetime
achievement in civil and human
rights advocacy.
“Rev. Lowery represents
a lifetime of preaching and
living the gospel of justice and
fairness,” stated Rev. Nelson
Rivers III, Vice President of
Stakeholder relations with the

NAACP. “It was a powerful
moment for all the generations
present to see a civil rights icon
like Dr. Lowery, as well as Dr.
C.T. Vivian, another legend
who presented him the award.”
The
black
churches
represented at the meeting
included AME Zion, Christian
Methodist Episcopal (CME),
Black Methodist for Church
Renewal (BMCR), National
Baptist
Convention-USA,
National Baptist Convention of
America, Progressive National
Baptist and Primitive National
Baptist.

Page 10 • December 24 - December 30, 2012 • Insight News

insightnews.com

FULL CIRCLE

Prepare for the New Year
Man
Talk

By Timothy Houston
It is hard to believe that in about
a week, another new year will
be upon us. Because the new
years seem to be coming faster
and faster, we must make time
to process the previous year’s
activities and prepare for the
New Year. Our success and
failures will be governed by the
actions we take today. In order to
make the most of the upcoming
year, here are 5 important things
that you should do to prepare.
1. Update your resume. As
more and more companies face
their economic realities, many
will be forced to make changes

Edelman
From 5
will stand up against the NRA
and for every child’s right to live
and learn free of gun violence.
But that will not happen until
mothers and grandmothers,
fathers and grandfathers, sisters
and brothers, aunts and uncles,
and neighbors and faith leaders
and everybody who believes that
children have a right to grow up

in their human resources. The
better you are prepared for these
unknown changes, the quicker
you will be able to land back on
your feet. Make sure you current
resume includes your current job
duties, volunteer experiences,
and changes in your educational
status.
2. Review your credit
report. It is estimated that 1 out
of every 2 credit reports have
some sort of error, misleading
or
out-dated
information.
Reviewing your report on an
annual basis allows you to keep
these errors from negatively
impacting your credit score.
By monitoring my report and
disputing errors, paying my bills
on time, and paying down my
credit card balance, I was able
to increase my score by almost
100 points in less than a year.
You can improve your score as
well. You can get a truly free
copy of your report from www.
annualcreditreport.com.

chronic diseases. Fitting regular
exercise into your daily schedule
may seem difficult at first, but
the current physical activity

safely stand up together and
make a mighty ruckus as long
as necessary to break the gun
lobby’s veto on common sense
gun policy. Our laws and not
the NRA must control who can
obtain firearms.
It is way past time to demand
enactment of federal gun safety
measures, including:
Ending the gun show
loophole that allows private
dealers to sell guns without
a license and avoid required
background checks;
Reinstating
the
assault

weapons ban that expired in
2004;
And requiring consumer
safety standards for all guns.
Why in the world do we
regulate teddy bears and toy
guns and not real guns that have
snuffed out tens of thousands
of child lives? Why are leaders
capitulating to the powerful gun
lobby over the rights of children
and all people to life and safety?
I hope these shocking
Connecticut child sacrifices
in this holy season will force
enough of us at last to stand

different types and amounts of
activities each week. Make your
physical health your priority.
4. Go to church. The true

purpose of church is to help you
find and fulfill your spiritual
purpose. Spiritual wellness
may not be something that you
think much of, yet its impact
on your life is unavoidable.
Beyond church, there are
many wellness behaviors that
can also benefit your spiritual
health. Such behaviors include
feeling connected with others,
feeling part of a community,
volunteering,
having
an
optimistic attitude, contributing
to society, and self -love.
5. Develop / revisit your
personal mission statement.
A personal mission statement
is an individual statement
that outlines what you want
to be (character), what you
want to do (contributions and
achievement), and the values
or principles upon which being
and doing are based. It becomes
a personal constitution that can
be turned to when making either
major life-changing decisions or

small daily decisions. Think of it
as a roadmap that you can refer
to for guidance as you journey
through life.
Start
preparing
today.
Everyday you are given an
opportunity to be better. As
you celebrate the New Year,
direct action will be required to
steer your life in the direction
that is most meaningful to you.
Your choices will be the key
contributor to your life’s success.
Doing just one of these 5 things
will make your life better. I hope
and pray that you do them all.
As we move into 2013, I look
forward to continuing to share
my hand and heart with you.
Timothy
Houston
is
an author, minister, and
motivational speaker who is
committed to guiding positive
life changes in families and
communities. For questions,
comments or more information,
go to www.tlhouston.com.

up, speak out, and organize
with urgency and persistence
until the President, Members of
Congress, Governors and State
Legislators put child safety
ahead of political expediency.
And we must aspire and act
together to become the world
leader in protecting children
against gun violence rather
than leading the world in child
victims of guns. Every child’s
life is sacred and it is long past
time that we protect all our
children.
Albert
Camus,
Nobel

Laureate,
speaking
at
a
Dominican monastery in 1948
said: “Perhaps we cannot prevent
this world from being a world in
which children are tortured. But
we can reduce the number of
tortured children.” He described
our responsibility as human
beings “if not to reduce evil, at
least not to add to it” and “to
refuse to consent to conditions
which torture innocents.” It
is time for a critical mass of
Americans to refuse to consent
to the killing of children by gun
violence.

Marian Wright Edelman is
President of the Children’s
Defense Fund whose Leave
No Child Behind® mission is
to ensure every child a Healthy
Start, a Head Start, a Fair
Start, a Safe Start and a Moral
Start in life and successful
passage to adulthood with
the help of caring families
and communities. For more
information go to www.
childrensdefense.org.

guidelines for Americans are
more flexible than ever, giving
you the freedom to reach your
physical activity goals through

Start preparing today.
Everyday you are
given an opportunity
to be better.

insightnews.com

Insight News • December 24 - December 30, 2012 • Page 11

A time capsule marks Unity Temple 25th anniversary
Pastor Ezra J. Fagge’Tt and the
Unity Temple Church of God
in Christ family celebrated the
25th church anniversary with
the historic sealing of a time
capsule.
On Sunday, Dec. 2, the time
capsule was sealed, preserved
and embedded in the foundation
in a special worship service and
ceremony. During the service,
members shared reflections
from the past 25 years, musical
selections were rendered and

Pastor Fagge’Tt shared a special
prayer.
The time capsule will be
opened in 25 years — the year
of 2037. The historic items will
provide a snapshot in time of the
Unity Temple COGIC family to
those that open it in the future.
Items placed in the time
capsule include pictures from
the past 25 years (1987-2012),
church
programs/literature,
membership
directories,
specialty items from 25th

anniversary banquet such as
custom-designed
invitations,
programs and napkins and
a 61-page 25th anniversary
commemorative
book
autographed by each member of
the church.
The Unity Temple (Family)
Church of God in Christ began
its journey in the spring of
1987, under the jurisdictional
leadership of Bishop S.N.
Frazier. The church was
located at 5355 38th Ave. S.,

Minneapolis, in the building
of the Resurrection Lutheran
Church.
Unity Temple relocated
to 100 Franklin Ave. S.,
Minneapolis and worshipped
there from April to June in
1992. It later moved to 2900
Lyndale Ave. N., Minneapolis,
a church building owned by the
Salvation Army.
In January, 1995, Unity
Temple moved to St Paul and
relocated in the basement of

Foxx
From 7
girl in the end. I thought it was
just an amazing and courageous
project.
KW: Children’s book author
Irene Smalls says: In this film
you turn the docile stupid black
man myth on its head. You also
portray the enduring love of a
black man for his woman.
JF: Most definitely! When
you see the slave who’s been
chained and whipped with no
way out, and he finally catches
up to this, some people call
that revenge. But I say, “No,
it’s righting a wrong at that
time.” You’ve been wronged
for so long, and here’s your
karma personified, standing in
this funny blue suit. And on the
end of that suit is your maker.
You’ve never seen that in a
movie before, at least not when
it comes to slavery. Ordinarily,
when the slave gets a chance to
hold the whip or the gun, they
start singing a hymn or doing
the speech about “If I do this,
I’ll be as bad as you.” We come
out with a mix-tape, and that’s it.
But with Quentin Tarantino, it’s
just like a regular Western. The

Christopher Walz and Jamie Foxx in “Django Unchained”
bad guy has to pay, and the good
guy gets his woman.
KW: Have you seen the
film with a black audience?
Were people talking back at the
screen?
JF: Yeah, they were yelling
like crazy.
KW: Irene also says: In both
your stage name and your career
choices you’ve paid homage
to great black artists who have
come before you. Is this film

another acknowledgement of
that legacy?
JF: Absolutely! I know this
might sound strange, but some
of the people I actually studied
for this film were a little more
contemporary. Of course, I
started with the original film
Django and Clint Eastwood’s
The Good, the Bad and the
Ugly, but I also watched Wesley
Snipes in New Jack City, and
Denzel Washington in Glory

Columbia Pictures

and A Soldier’s Story. Those
performances moved me in a
way that I cannot explain. So,
you’re seeing me tip my hat to
those guys in this film.
KW: Film student Jamaal
Green says: Jamie, you are
such a talent in so many areas,
it seems like there isn’t anything
you can’t do. Is there any chance
that directing will be something
you may try next?
JF: We’re doing a directing

Rock Temple COGIC.
In April of 1996, Unity
Temple was provided with its
own church building located at
3000 20th Ave. S., Minneapolis,
but the congregation outgrew
the building.
In 2006, Unity Temple
moved into its current location
at 4801 63rd Ave. N. in
Brooklyn Center.
Over the past 25 years
Unity Temple has grown both
spiritually and naturally to be

the Church it is today.
As Pastor of New Jerusalem
COGIC, Elder Fagge’Tt started
with 13 members. Twentyfive years later, there are three
original members that are still
apart of the ministry. The name
of New Jerusalem COGIC
was changed to Unity Temple
Church of God In Christ and
was incorporated and registered
with the national headquarters
in Memphis, TN, in September,
1987.

thing with Canon and Ron
Howard, a special where we
have people send in pictures. I
would also like to direct some
comedies with people like Chris
Tucker, Kevin Hart and Mike
Epps, and go to work with them
on some fun stuff.
KW: Nick Antoine was
wondering whether you’re ever
going to get around to doing
Skank Robbers, that longrumored film based on the
characters Wanda and Sheneneh
that you and Martin Lawrence
played on In Living Color?
JF: No, that’s not going to
happen.
KW: This question is from
your co-star Kerry Washington:
If you were an animal, what
animal would you be?
JF: Wow! If I were an
animal, I would be an eagle.
KW: The Melissa HarrisPerry question: How did your
first big heartbreak impact who
you are as a person?
JF: Guys don’t adapt as well
as women do to getting their
heart broken for the first time.
It’s tragic. I really wanted to be
in love, get married, have kids
and buy a wood-paneled station
wagon for the family. But it
didn’t work out, and, boy, it
wrecked it!

KW: Would you mind
coming up with a Jamie Foxx
question I could ask other
celebrities when I interview
them?
JF: Hmm… [Thinks] If you
only had 24 hours to live, what
would you do? Would you do the
bad stuff, you never got a chance
to do, or would you do good
stuff to make sure you make it
into heaven?
KW:
Great
question!
Thanks! Harriet Pakula-Teweles
says: You have so much fun
singing. What would be your
dream band, if you could select
the members from any group?
JF: My dream band? Jesus
Christ! I would start with
Prince, and then Questlove and
Buddy Rich on the drums, Rick
James on the bass, and Herbie
Hancock on the piano. The
horn section would be Miles
Davis on lead trumpet, with
Wynton and Branford Marsalis.
I’d have Santana on lead guitar
and Sheila E. doing percussion.
My hype man would be Jerome
[Benton] from The Time, and
my singing group would be New
Edition. There it is!
KW: Great band! Thanks
again for the time, Jamie, and
best of luck with the film.
JF: Thanks, Kam.

“Violence is not new, but
ingrained in American culture,”
said Edwin Irwin, director of
youth justice and community
engagement of youthrive,
while addressing 230 young
people and advisors at the 2012
PeaceJam Slam.
Minneapolis’ oldest movie
theater, The Capri Theater,
2027 West Broadway Ave.,
Minneapolis hosted the event
which was organized by
youthrive, a non-profit that
builds
cross-generational
relationships.
Irwin
said
youthrive is based on three
ideas – education, inspiration
and action.
“The overall goal is to break
the cycle of violence and create
the next generation of peace
makers,” said Irwin.
The question Irwin posed
for all at the conference was,
“how do we create the next
generation of peace makers
and intentionally engage young
people?”
Mike Hannah, who is
responsible for the social
media efforts at youthrive,
is also a young local hip
hop artist (Mike Dreams).
Hannah led a workshop on
creative expression to help
young people learn to channel
negative energy into positive
energy through art, writing,
music and poetry.
“We just gave them the tools
to open up discussion and learn
the importance of emotion. It
not only helps therapeutically,

youthrive youth leadership team with Mike Hannah
but also helps others relate to
what we speak about,” said
Hannah.
Hannah said during the
workshop, he noticed some
students were engaged and
others were more on the quiet
side. “Afterwards, a few of
the participants who weren’t so
quick to speak up told me the
workshop helped them tap into
feelings that they never had the
opportunity to express,” said
Hannah.
Other workshop topics
included
dismantling
stereotypes, presented by 4H
Urban Development; promoting
healthy dating relationships
and preventing sexual violence,
presented by the youthrive
Scholars Team; helping youth

create personal peace journeys
facilitated by Minneapolis
Community and Technical
College instructor Vera Snow
and Project Happiness, led by
the Minnesota Association for
Children’s Mental Health.
‘“Project Happiness: The
Documentary’ was shown at
the conference to guide youth,
adults and communities through
examining what truly makes
people happy,” said Callie J.
Aguilar, associate director of
youthrive. “We thought that
was especially important for
young people who get caught
up in the pressures of consumer
society.”
Irwin
facilitated
a
discussion about the role media
plays in perpetuating violence.

In the discussion, the group
uncovered some truths about
negative messages through
music videos and the gaming
industry.
The discussion took place
after showing a video clip of
the Mary Johnson story.
Johnson is the founder
of From Death to Life, an
organization
dedicated
to
ending
violence
through
healing and reconciliation
between families of victims
and those who have caused
harm. From Death to Life was
founded in 2005, shortly before
Johnson came to forgive Oshea
Israel, the young man who took
her only son’s life 12 years
earlier. She now claims Israel as
her “spiritual son” and together

they share their inspiring story
of healing and reconciliation in
the community.
Irwin recalls one of the
students challenging a reporter
by asking, “Why do you guys
(media) only report on bad
news?”
The reporter’s reply was,
“Bad news is good news. That’s
our business.”
Irwin reviewed the main
points in the keynote speech,
“The Roots of Violence,” by
Dave Ellis and Filipa Cespedes.
“The key is for people to
understand that violence is a
learned behavior,” said Irwin.
“Since violence is a social
construct, it can therefore be
deconstructed through a process
that involves individuals and
their communities.”
Irwin said that Ellis
encouraged the audience to
review one’s own history, family
and culture in order to begin
the process of deconstructing
harmful behaviors.
“We have to understand
individual historical events
also in order to understand
why we react to certain things.
‘Gangsterism’ did not start in
urban America, in truth, it can
be traced to Jesse James and the
myth of the American cowboy,”
said Irwin. “We have to assess
our history and surroundings
to answer why we do what we
do versus assuming it’s OK to
do it and following repetitive
patterns.”
To learn more about
youthrive, upcoming events
and programs, call (612) 3547571 or visit www.youthrive.
net.

insightnews.com

Insight News • December 24 - December 30, 2012 • Page 13

PUZZLES

Dunning
From 1
Court will not do the same when
it hears her case on Jan. 8.
Dunning is not fighting her
son – the girls’ father, Princeton
Knox, or the children’s mother,
Javille Sutton for custody.
Both agreed to terminate their
parental rights as they struggled
with chemical dependency.
According the Dunning and
her other son, Aubrey Knox,
the parents intended to have
Dunning care for the two young
girls.
“My
brother
didn’t
understand what he was doing,”
said Aubrey Knox. “He would
have never terminated his rights
if he thought my mother wasn’t
going to get the girls.”
Who and what Dunning
is fighting is the family to
whom the two girls have been
placed and the ruling of Judge
Kathryn Quaintance, who said
it was in the best interest of
the children that they be placed
with nonrelated foster parents.
According to Dunning, it is as
one social worker in her home
state of Mississippi told her, “It’s
a case of the haves and the have
nots. You (Dunning) are the have
nots.”
Even though immediately
after Princess and Dorothy
Knox’s mother and father
relinquished
their
parental
rights, Dunning began applying
for custody, the children were
placed with total strangers – now
the children’s foster parents.
Those foster parents, Steven

Guns
From 1
Stiles said the mayor is a
long-standing member of Mayors
Against Illegal Guns, an advocacy
group of mayors formed by
New York City Mayor Michael
Bloomberg, to prevent criminals
from illegally obtaining guns. He
said of the simplest of things to do
is to ban assault weapons such as
the one used in the Connecticut
shooting and to close the loophole
that allows anyone to legally
purchase a firearm at gun shows
without a criminal or mental
history background check.
“Forty percent of all guns are
purchased without any background
check whatsoever,” said Stiles.
“The mayor believes we’ve got
to close that loophole. And the
mayor wants to have a law enacted
to have gun owners report any gun
that has been lost or stolen. When
a car is stolen, you’ve got report
it; it should be the same for guns.
Clearly we have a problem.”
Just this past September,
Minneapolis was the scene of a
mass shooting when an armed
former employee of Accent
Signage Systems killed five and
wounded three others before
killing himself with a legally
purchased handgun. In the wake
of the most recent mass shooting,
the son of one of the Minneapolis
victims, Sammy Rahamim, whose
father, Reuven Rahamim, was
killed in the attack, appeared
together with Bloomberg this past
Monday (Dec. 17) to speak out for
stricter gun legislation.
Also, according to Stiles,

Football
ANSWERS TURN TOO 14

and Liv Grosser, are now trying
to permanently adopt the Knox
girls.
Dunning
and
her
grandchildren are AfricanAmerican, the Grossers are
Caucasian.
And though rules of foster
care prohibit foster parents from
calling a child a name other than
his or her legal name, according
to Dunning, the Grossers have
“changed” at least one of the
children’s names.
“I was with my youngest
grandbaby
(Dunning
has
court-ordered visitation) and
I called her Dorothy and the
social worker told me, ‘Oh,
she doesn’t know who that is,
they (the Grossers) call her
Hannah,’” said Dunning, who
said between three and four
different
Minnesota
social
workers have been assigned to
her grandchildren.
“Early on, they (the Grossers)
came to me with a deal to let them
adopt my granddaughters and
they would let me visit them,”
said Dunning, who said she had
no interest in the deal. “Those
are my granddaughters and I’m
not going to work anything out.
I’m never going to stop fighting
for my grandbabies.”
Dunning said her attorneys
also advised against such a deal
as there were no methods to
enforce such an agreement once
adoption had been granted.
It would seem common sense
that if a blood relative is willing
and able to care for children
in the foster system that the
kids would be awarded to that
relative. Even Hennepin County,
in its official policy on foster

care states, “Relatives are first
sought to care for the children.”
But Judge Quaintance didn’t see
it that way. She ruled the Knox
girls should be placed with the
Grossers as in her opinion; it
was in the “best interest of the
children.”
“If you really want to do
what’s in their best interest,
why not give them to their
family,” said Dunning, who
said in Quaintance’s initial court
ruling against her, the Hennepin
County justice told her because
Dunning’s son, Princeton Knox,
is illiterate, she must not be fit to
raise her two grandchildren.
Aubrey Knox said his mother
is not to blame for his brother’s
educational shortcomings noting
that his brother moved from his
mother’s home in Mississippi to
Minnesota to play high school
football and spent several years
in the Minneapolis Public School
system and was tutored daily. He
also said he and another sibling
have no issues with literacy.
“I can take care of my
family, why not let me have
them” said Dunning, as tears
streamed down her face. “I want
my grandchildren because I love
them.”
Though literacy is not a legal
determinant for one’s fitness for
guardianship, Dunning and her
supporters note she is literate
and has the ability to teach her
grandchildren.
In order to fully understand
Dunning’s fight, it’s important to
go back to the beginning.
One day a couple of years
ago Dunning, who still lives
in Mississippi, received a call
from a concerned individual in

Rybak has called for an end
to the prohibition of Alcohol
Tobacco and Firearms officials
to communicate with local law
enforcement agencies regarding
guns and gun crime.
Heather Martens, executive
director of Protect Minnesota said
the latest in a string of national
gun tragedies yells for legislative
action.
“I hope there will now be
political will to enact the gun
violence prevention measures
we’ve been calling for,” said
Martens. “I’m sorry it had to come
to something like this for people to
finally get some resolve.”
Joan Peterson of Protect
Minnesota agrees.
“We always knew the majority
of people wanted what we wanted
(in terms of stricter gun laws), but
we couldn’t get elected leaders to
act because of fear of the NRA
(National Rifle Association),” said
Peterson. “Now you see people
like Sen. Joe Manchin of West
Virginia, who is A-Rated by the
NRA, said that something needs to
be done, so there’s hope.”
Peterson lost her sister,
Barbara Lund, to gun violence 20
years ago.
“Why would anyone be
against reasonable gun control
laws,” Peterson questioned. “We
have to ask our elected officials
who they are going to be held
accountable to, the citizens or the
NRA.”
Insight
News
contacted
Minnesota
NRA
field
representative Scott Lembke
for comment on this story, but
Lembke declined an interview
and referred Insight to the national
NRA. A call was placed to the

national body, but the individual
who answered the call would
not comment and said she would
try and have someone return the
call. At the time this story went to
press, the call to the NRA was not
returned.
Fifth District Congressman
Keith Ellison said there is a reason
for the NRA’s silence.
“It’s because the position
it takes is wrong and morally
bankrupt,” said Ellison. “(The
NRA) says any restriction on guns
will lead to a ban on all guns and
that’s absurd. There are many
responsible gun owners – hunters;
and they know that no one is out
there hunting game spraying them
with (rounds from) high capacity
clips.”
Areas schools review safety in
wake of shooting
Some area school districts are
reviewing their safety policies and
procedures in wake of the Sandy
Hook shooting.
Jason Matlock, director of
emergency management, safety
and security for the Minneapolis
Public Schools (MPS) said the
district has written procedures
in place and staff and students
are drilled on what to do in such
a crisis. Matlock said currently,
visitors either must buzz in or be
greeted by school personnel to
be allow entrance into any of the
district’s schools.
“Our policy is a living
document, so nothing is written
in stone, and we will look at it to
see if things can be learned from
what happened in Connecticut,”
said Matlock. “Nothing is ever
100 percent perfect, but we’ve got

GUNS TURN TO 15

Minnesota alerting her that her
son, Princeton Knox and his
girlfriend at the time, Sutton,
were heavily addicted to drugs
and in need of help. Dunning
paid to have the two transported
to Mississippi to be close to her.
At the time, the couple only had
one child, Princess Knox. When
the couple arrived in Mississippi,
Dunning said she was told by
Sutton that the child was being
cared for by Sutton’s sister. It
was later discovered that that
was not the case and Princess
Knox was in the Hennepin
County foster care system.
During the couple’s time in
Mississippi, it was discovered
that Sutton was pregnant with
a second child, Dorothy Knox.
According to Dunning, though

DOWN
1. Overnight lodging
2. Make very hot and dry
3. ____-de-camp
4. *Quality of a good player
5. *Moves with each first down
6. It makes a car shine
7. Wrath
8. Most famous gremlin
9. Capital of West Germany, 19491989
10. Unfavorable prefix
11. Seabiscuit control
12. Small amount of residue
15. Go to NPR, e.g.
20. Enlighten
22. Suitable
24. Quality of a good soldier
25. Muslim ruler, respectfully
26. What scapegoat is given
27. Shorter than California
29. Used for weaving
31. *Tackler’s breath?
32. Each and all
33. Chinese silk plant
34. Takes off weight
36. *Nevada Wolf Pack’s home
38. Do over
42. Touch is one of these
45. Starting time
49. One from Laos
51. *Brother of #21 Across is a
leader of this team
54. Genuflecting joints
56. Loyalty to the loyal, e.g.
57. Farmer’s output
58. Alternate spelling of #64 Across
59. In or of the present month
60. Athletic event
61. Narcotics agent
62. Evander Holyfield’s ear mark
63. *Ivy League’s Bulldogs
66. Charlotte of “Facts of Life” fame
68. Ctrl+Alt+___

eventually her son was able to
get and stay clean – he has since
married another woman – Sutton
has remained hooked on drugs.
While pregnant she moved
back to Minneapolis where the
couple’s second child, Dorothy
Knox was born and also placed
in foster care.
Ever since Dorothy Knox’s
birth, Dunning has been fighting
for both children. Even though
precedence says the children
should be placed in her custody
over that of any nonrelated
foster parents, Dunning was
mandated to complete foster
care certification. He home was
approved for care and it was
stated by Hennepin County that
the two girls should be placed
with their grandmother for

permanent adoption, but Judge
Quaintance ruled differently.
Attempts
to
interview
the Grosser’s attorney were
unsuccessful. An interview was
scheduled with the attorney,
but was later postponed as the
attorney said he was called into
court.
Dunning said while the
state of Minnesota is paying the
Grossers thousands of dollars
– according to Dunning, the
Grossers have built an addition
on to their home with state funds
– she is not seeking any such
assistance.
“But your state (Minnesota)
is paying for two nannies (to
assist the Grossers) while they’re
(Dunning’s grandchildren) in
foster care,” said Dunning.

Page 14 • December 24 - December 30, 2012 • Insight News

insightnews.com

COMMUNITY
Celebrate Kwanzaa with Family Day at The Minnesota History Center
The Minnesota History Center
invites guests to celebrate
family, community and culture
during Kwanzaa Family Day.
This year, the celebration falls
on Dec. 29, the fourth day of
Kwanzaa and highlights Ujamaa,
or “Cooperative Economics,”
which focuses on building and
maintaining African American
stores, shops and other businesses.
Meet business owners, artists and
emerging entrepreneurs and be
inspired by their work and their
stories.
From Noon to 4 p.m.
enjoy family activities and
entertainment including:
• Opening ceremony with
artist Sha’ Cage;
• Musical performances
featuring Bruce Henry and
Walker West Music Academy
Jazz Ensemble;
• Storytelling and African
folktales with Danielle Daniel;
• Cooking
demonstrations
with Living Soul Cuisine head
chef, Cynthia Johnson and Rose
McGee, owner and chief baker for

featuring
Seakh
Menheer,
Khetasar Menheer, and Retekh
Menheer.
All events are included with
regular museum admission of
$11 adults, $9 seniors and college
students, $6 children ages 6-17;
free for children age 5 and under
and MHS members.
Kwanzaa was created in
1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga,
Kwanzaa is an African American
and
Pan-African
holiday

celebrated by millions throughout
the world African community.
Focusing on family, community
and culture, Kwanzaa celebrates
the special message of what it
means to be African and human
in the fullest sense.
The
Minnesota
History
Center is located at 345 Kellogg
Blvd. W. in St. Paul. Museum
hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Tuesdays (admission is free
on Tuesdays from 5 to 8 p.m.),

Bruce Henry
Deep Roots Gourmet Desserts;
• Art Activity with Shirley
Jones, artist/educator/founder of
Plymouth Avenue Art Studio;
• KMOJ Radio Financial
Fitness show host Nneka Serwaa
Morgan who will deliver a power
packed perspective for families
and teens on money management;
• Theater presentations by
History Player Toni Stone, the
first female player in the Negro
Leagues;

from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. (530 N. 5th
Avenue E., Duluth, MN 55805).
Walker Art Center Free
First Saturdays
Jan. 5
Free First Saturdays are for
families. Activities are free
and available on a first-come,
first-served basis from 10 am–3
pm. Gallery admission is free
from 10 am–5 pm on Free First
Saturday. Families can enjoy
live performances, films, gallery
adventures, and hands-on artmaking from 10 am–3 pm.
Activities recommended for ages
6–12. The Walker Art Center is
located at 1750 Hennepin Avenue
in Minneapolis. For public
information, call 612.375.7600
or visit walkerart.org

Washburn A Mill Tour Jan. 5, 19
Take an in-depth look at the
historic Washburn A Mill
complex and the award-winning
Mill City Museum building 1
p.m. Saturdays, Jan. 5 and 19.
This is the only opportunity for
a guided tour through the entire
museum building and the only
chance to see some of its nonpublic spaces. The tour includes
admission to the museum gallery,
Baking Lab, Water Lab and Flour
Tower show. Fee: $14 adults,
$12 seniors and college
students, $10 children
Supervising Attorney
ages 6-17 and MHS
Supervising Attorney – Housing Discrimination
Law Project, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid. For details
members. Tour includes
go to http://www.mylegalaid.org/jobs.
museum
admission.
Reservations
required;
call 612-341-7555 or
Chief Financial Officer
register online: http://
TCC Land Bank, a nonprofit financial service org.,
seeks CFO to perform strategic financial planning and
www.millcitymuseum.
data analysis, oversee all financial activities including
org/tours.
Mill
City
budgeting, audit, and contract and reporting compliMuseum is located at
ance. 5 yrs of experience as CFO or equiv. Letter of
704 South Second Street,
application and resume received at hr@tcclandbank.org
through January 14, 2013 will be considered.
Minneapolis.

Jealous
From 5
prescriptions for tapping the
potential of our students. The
NAACP is asking its more than
1,200 active units to advocate
for the following reforms:
First, all students should
have a strong educational
foundation before kindergarten.
This means high quality,
universal prekindergarten that

Answers
From 13

supports strong literacy and
language skills.
Second, we need effective
teachers and leaders. Every
school, regardless of location
and resources, should have
a strongly prepared, wellsupported teacher in every
classroom.
Third, students need more
time for more learning. This
means longer school days,
longer school years and more
years of education. Schools
also need to offer broad-based

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays
through Saturdays, and noon to
5 p.m. Sundays. Auxiliary aids
and services are available with
advance notice.
For
more
information,
call 651-259-3000 or 1-800657-3773.about the minnesota
historical society The Society’s
calendar of events is posted
online
at
events.mnhs.org/
calendar. The website also has
information about all of the
Society’s programs, museums
and historic sites.
The Minnesota Historical
Society
is
a
non-profit
educational
and
cultural
institution established in 1849.
The Society collects, preserves
and tells the story of Minnesota’s
past through museum exhibits,
libraries and collections, historic
sites, educational programs and
book publishing. Using the power
of history to transform lives, the
Society preserves our past, shares
our state’s stories and connects
people with history.

Email: info@insightnews.com

Resident
Artists
IX:
Rule of Thirds at Altered
Esthetics
Jan.
3-24
Three is a powerful number in
science, religion, music, and
the arts. For the ninth annual
resident artists exhibition, artists
incorporate the number three
or triptychs. Ae artists will be
displaying their take on the number
three and how it influences their
artwork. The pieces displayed
will be in a variety of mediums
ranging from watercolor to acrylic
to photographs. There will be
an opening reception on Friday,
Jan 4 7 p.m. - 10 p.m.; Artists’
Discussion Panel on Saturday,
Jan 12 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. The Show
runs January 3 - 24, 2013. Gallery
Hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays – 1
p.m. – 7 p.m.; Saturdays – 1 p.m.
- 5 p.m.; and Every First Friday –
7 p.m. - 10 p.m. Altered Esthetics
is located at 1224 Quincy St. NE
Minneapolis MN 55413, (612)
378-8888.
Minneapolis
School
Fair
Showcase Jan. 12
Minneapolis public and charter
schools are partnering to host
the first Minneapolis School
Fair Showcase on Saturday, Jan.
12, from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the
Minneapolis Convention Center,
1301-2nd Ave. in downtown
Minneapolis. This event will
bring together families of
prospective students in one
location to meet educators from
public and charter schools and to
explore an array of educational
possibilities
for
school-age
children, pre-kindergarten through
high school. MPS’ deadline for
submitting school priority request
cards is Tue., Feb. 19, 2013. Free
childcare for children ages 3-5 will

programs that extend beyond
the regular school day, year and
curriculum.
Finally, we need to target
our resources at those schools
that need them most. We should
direct additional state funds
to school districts with high
concentrations of low-income
students. And we should target
funds from all levels to help
those schools and students who
are struggling hardest to achieve.
The NAACP earned its
reputation in education by

be provided. Call the Information
Line, 612.668.1842 about free
parking and free shuttle transport
for families. With questions about
the fair, call Student Placement
Services at 612.668.1840. You
may also visit www.mpls.k12.
mn.us.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Event Jan. 14
The Human Rights Commission
and the Human Services Division
of the City of Bloomington will
sponsor Dr. Don Bartlette and
his presentation, “My Journey
Across Black America” in honor
of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
during lunch on Monday, January
14, 2013 at Creekside Community
Center. Prior to presentation,
watch his film, “Macaroni At
Midnight,” which shares his
remarkable story growing up
as a Native American child,
living in poverty, experiencing
issues such as racism, abuse,
and struggles with his own
disabilities. The film will show
at 9:45 a.m. Following an 11:30
a.m. lunch and presentation.
A question and answer session
will follow presentation. The
following are additional dates
the film will be shown for free
at Creekside Community Center:
Wednesday, January 9 at 9:30
a.m. and Friday, January 11
at 1:00 p.m. This event does
require a prepaid registration 3
days in advance. Meal cost is
$0-3 for guests 60+ (NAPIS form
required) and $6 for guests under
the age of 60. If you would like
more information or would like
to make a reservation, visit or call
Creekside Community Center
9801 Penn Ave. S., 952-5634944, TTY 952-563-4933.

removing obstacles that blocked
children from learning. But now
is the time for proactive reform.
To make the promise of a better
life for our children real, we
must support student learning
and achievement. We must be
determined to help every child
reach his or her full potential
and thereby ensure that we, as a
nation, lead and serve globally.
Benjamin Todd Jealous is
President and CEO of the
national NAACP.

insightnews.com

Insight News • December 24 - December 30, 2012 • Page 15

Counties Transit Improvement Board commits
$30 million to next generation of transit projects
are doing the right thing for
our region by funding these
projects.”
The
preliminary
engineering commitment to
Southwest LRT (not to exceed
$55.8 million) signals the
board’s ongoing support of the
project as the region prepares
to request matching state funds
from the Minnesota Legislature
in 2013. Overall, the board
will support 30 percent of the
total project costs, including
providing early funding for
construction of the line.
A total of $30 million
was distributed in capital and
operating grants for 2013:
• Bottineau Transitway, $2.4
million for early preliminary
engineering activities once the
locally preferred alternative
route and mode are adopted
into the Metropolitan Council’s
Transportation Policy Plan.
• Anoka Station, Northstar
Commuter Rail, $2 million for
construction of a pedestrian
overpass and parking facility
to improve safety in the area.
Construction will begin in
2013 and is scheduled for
completion in 2014.
• I-35W South BRT,
$840,000 for purchase of
five coach buses to operate
expanded bus service between
Lakeville
and
downtown
Minneapolis. Ridership has
nearly tripled since 2009 and is

The
Counties
Transit
Improvement Board’s annual
grant awards signaled its
commitment to advancing
transit projects across the
region. The board authorized
funding 60 percent of the
preliminary
engineering
costs of Southwest Light Rail
Transit; awarded its first grant
to
Bottineau
Transitway;
and
invested
in
safety
improvements on Northstar
Commuter Rail.
In addition, the board
continued
its
investment
in Interstate 35-W Bus
Rapid Transit (BRT), transit
improvements in Washington
County
and
operating
assistance to Metro Transit
for expansion of transit in the
region. To date, the Counties
Transit Improvement Board
has invested nearly half a
billion dollars throughout the
last 4.75 years.
“Our eyes are on the
next generation of projects
–
Southwest,
Bottineau,
Gateway – that will advance
the regional network and
further the development of our
communities” said Counties
Transit Improvement Board
Chair Peter McLaughlin.
“We need only look at the
terrific, ongoing performance
of Hiawatha LRT, and its
success in leveraging private
investment to know that we

expected to grow in 2013.
•
· Washington County,
$2.9 million for guaranteed
grant funds that are being
deferred until the money can
be used in advanced planning
stages of the Gateway, Red
Rock, Rush Line and Highway
36 corridors.
• Metropolitan Council,
$21.3 million for operating
grants for the Hiawatha LRT,
Northstar Commuter Rail,
I-35W South BRT and Cedar
Avenue BRT.
Throughout its history, the
Counties Transit Improvement
Board has been willing to
take the necessary steps to
ensure funding is available
to transit projects throughout
the metropolitan area. The
attached chart shows how the
board has distributed $494
million in grants since 2008,
and the attached map shows the
board’s vision for the region.
The board accomplishes
its
work
through
close
collaboration with its partners,
particularly the Metropolitan
Council. Every grant award
has been made through
unanimous decisions of the
Board, reflecting the regional
consensus behind making
investments in a network
of interconnected light rail,
commuter rail and bus rapid
transit lines.

Nekima Levy-Pounds receives ‘Profiles in Courage Award’
from Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers
University of St. Thomas School
of Law Associate Professor
Nekima
Levy-Pounds
has
received the Profiles in Courage
Award from the Minnesota
Association of Black Lawyers.
MABL bestows the award
annually on an individual or entity
that has demonstrated the highest
level of courage, excellence
and integrity in furthering
the organization’s mission of
representing the interests of Black

Ten
From 3
testimony and statements which he
made in prior written statements
to the prosecutor,” the petition
continued. “When repeatedly
asked by defense attorneys to
reconcile the discrepancies, Hall
testified that he had amended the
earlier statements with the State’s
Prosecutor. Efforts by defense
attorneys to obtain copies of the
amended statements were resisted
by the prosecutor and upheld by
the trial judge.”
“At one point during Hall’s
cross-examination,” the legal
petition adds, “… he became
so enraged at the insistent and
grueling questioning by Defense
Attorney James Ferguson that
he rushed from the witness stand
and attempted to physically attack
Ferguson in open Court.” The
judge didn’t sanction Hall for the
violent outburst, however. Instead,
the judge chastised defense
attorney Ferguson for asking such
tough questions.
In October 1972, the
Wilmington Ten were all
convicted and sentenced to a total

Guns
From 13
a lot of well-trained people who
do good work in keeping students
safe.”
Matlock said many of the
details of the Sandy Hook
shooting are still being sorted
out, thus he wants to get a clearer
understanding of the incident
before making any adjustments to
the MSP safety plan.
In St. Paul, on the public
school district’s website it posted
the following message:
“SPPS (St. Paul Public
Schools) is shocked and saddened
by the shooting that took place in
Connecticut. Our thoughts go out
to all involved. We want to assure
our families and the community
that student safety is of paramount

Hill
From 1
who needed someone to save
the day for him or her. Jesse was
very often that someone. Quietly
and without any public notice,
Jesse would extend the helping

Nekima Levy-Pounds

citizens in the legal profession
and in the judicial system.
The award was presented
to Levy-Pounds by U.S. Rep.
Keith Ellison at the MABL
Foundation’s Annual Scholarship
Gala Nov. 10 at the Marriot West
in Minneapolis. Ellison, who
as a state legislator received the
award in 2006, remarked that
Levy-Pounds’ work in educating
the public on the proposed voter
ID constitutional amendment

of 282 years in prison, thanks to
Allen Hall’s false testimony.
But according to the
Wilmington Ten pardons legal
petition, it didn’t end there.
“In 1975, soon after the
[U.S.] Supreme Court refusal
to grant certiorari to review
the convictions, Allen Hall
recanted his trial testimony
and publicly admitted that he lied
as a result of inducements and
promises which were made to him
by the State Prosecutor,” attorneys
Joyner and Ferguson wrote to
the governor. “Following Hall’s
recantation, Jerome Mitchell and
Eric Junius also recanted their
testimonies.”
In a letter that Hall sent to The
Wilmington Journal when he
was apparently serving time for
another crime years after the trial,
he titled it, “A Cry for Help,”
indicating that he now feared for
his life behind bars.
“I have told you the people
what they would do to me, to try
and stop me from telling you the
lies that [District Attorney] Allen
Cobb and them made [me] tell in
court on Rev. Chavis an (sic) the
Wilmington Ten,” Hall wrote to
then Journal publisher Thomas
Jervay, Sr.

It was revealed in the Fourth
Circuit decision that Allen Hall
suffered from a mental illness,
and prosecutor Stroud knew it.
Stroud “failed” to disclose that,
and the fact that Hall had gotten
medical attention for it, to the
Wilmington Ten defense for fear
that it would have disqualified his
star witness’s testimony.
Hall had no case.
“These convictions were
reversed by the Fourth Circuit
Court of Appeals in December 4,
1980 as a result of that Court’s
studied
determinations
that
prosecutorial misconduct and
other constitutional violations
occurred during the Wilmington
Ten prosecutions and trials,”
attorney Joyner wrote.
Supporters of the Wilmington
Ten – more than 14,000 of whom
have signed pardon petitions
nationally thus far, say based
on these facts, people should be
writing N.C. Gov. Beverly Perdue,
asking that she pardon all of them
before she leaves office Dec. 31st.
(Allen Hall died several years
ago in Pennsylvania. Only his
many letters from prison speak for
him now.)

importance in our district. We
take every precaution, every
day. Our own security officers
and uniformed Saint Paul Police
officers patrol our schools daily.
Our Security and Emergency
Management Department is in
constant communication with
local law enforcement and public
safety partners. More information
on safety in Saint Paul Public
Schools is available at safety.spps.
org.”
At least one congressperson
and one Missouri police chief
suggest arming teachers to keep
students safe.
“I think that’s absurd,” said
Martens, who was once herself
an educator. “What we need to do
is make sure people with mental
illness don’t have access to high
powered weapons. How ridiculous
is it for a kindergarten teacher to be
carrying a gun around? And what

makes you think ‘Mrs. Jones’ is
going to be able to get off a clear
shot in a real life situation? It’s
ridiculous. It boggles the mind.”
Martens wondered what
would happen if a child were to get
a hold of a teacher’s gun. Peterson
wondered the same thing.
“Where’s a teacher going to
keep the gun – in a holster, in a
desk drawer, in a file cabinet,”
questioned Peterson, who was also
a teacher. “What a teacher should
do (in a crisis situation) is get the
children to safety, away from the
shooter and keep the children safe
and calm, not try and face down a
shooter.”
Matlock said having guns in
schools is not a favored approach.
“That’s a huge undertaking,
having guns around our kids at
all times,” said Matlock, who
was a police officer for six years.
“There’s just no quick fix here.”

hand that made the difference
– for the moment or perhaps
for a lifetime. He seemed to
be everywhere at once, partly
because he sometimes stayed
just long enough to steer things
in the right direction, then move
on to the next big challenge.
It was during the turbulent
decades of Atlanta’s moving

to racial and commercial
progressiveness that Jesse’s light
shown brightest. It was during
the early days of this period that
he was Publisher of The Atlanta
Inquirer newspaper – the mantle
which I now proudly wear. The
world has lost one of its best and
brightest.

played a key role in its defeat in
Minnesota last month.
Levy-Pounds is the founding
director of the Community Justice
Project, an award-winning civil
rights legal clinic. Levy-Pounds
teaches and supervises law
students as they use the law as a
tool to advance the cause of social
justice in poor communities of
color through problem-solving,
legal research and writing,
community engagement and

legislative advocacy.
In addition to her work in
the Community Justice Project,
Levy-Pounds contributes to the
field of civil rights and criminal
justice by serving as a consultant
to local civil rights organizations
and community groups, as a
commentator in local media,
and as a lecturer and speaker at
national and international forums.
Her scholarly interests include
the impact of the war on drugs on

African-American children and
families, the treatment of women
in prisons, and intersecting issues
of race, class and the juvenile and
adult criminal justice systems.
Because of her work in the
Community Justice Project,
Levy-Pounds was selected by
Sen. Al Franken to advise him in
his decision to nominate Elena
Kagan for the U.S. Supreme
Court.